‘I’m a woman like any other woman’: Imane Khelif after historic boxing gold at Paris Olympics despite gender row

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif made history by winning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, despite facing intense scrutiny over a gender controversy. The 24-year-old triumphed in the women’s welterweight division, defeating Yang Liu of China with a dominant 5:0 score.

“For eight years, this has been my dream, and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medalist,” Khelif told AP. “I want to thank all the Algerian people here in Paris, around the world and in Algeria. All the people from Algeria and all the people at my base. I want to thank all the team, my coach. Thank you so much. Algeria is very happy today.”

A fierce battle against criticism from a gender dispute marked Khelif’s journey to the podium. In 2023, the International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified her due to a failed gender eligibility test. Still, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) dismissed these tests as baseless, allowing her to compete in the Olympics.

“We are in the Olympics to perform as athletes, and I hope that we will not see any similar attacks in future Olympics,” she said.”I’m fully qualified to participate in this competition,” Khelif said Friday. “I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born as a woman, I live as a woman, and I am qualified.”

Responding to the controversy, Khelif asserted her identity, stating that she is “a woman like any other woman” and expressed satisfaction that her victory came despite the backlash. “I am a woman like any woman. I was born a woman, and I have lived as a woman, but there are enemies to success, and they can’t digest my success.”

The controversy surrounding Khelif and another boxer, Li Yu-ting of Taiwan, is about the ongoing concerns regarding gender eligibility in sports. The IBA initially disqualified both athletes but cleared them to compete after the IBA was banned from the Olympics due to governance issues.

“It was my dream [to win this medal] and I am very happy today that I’m an Olympic gold medallist,” Khelif told the BBC after winning the the gold medal.”Eight years of hard work, eight years of [being] too tired, eight years of no sleep – [this is] fantastic.”