Boxer Imane Khelif advances to gold-medal bout with another victory amid gender misconceptions
CTV
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif will press her fight for an Olympic gold medal Tuesday night amid the intense scrutiny over misconceptions about her gender.
Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria advanced to the gold-medal bout in the women’s welterweight division at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday night, moving one win away from what she calls the best response to the worldwide scrutiny she has faced over misconceptions about her gender.
With one more victory, Khelif would win Algeria’s second boxing gold medal and its first in women's boxing.
Khelif defeated Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand 5:0 in the semifinals at Roland Garros, where the crowd roared for her and chanted her name repeatedly during her three-round fight. Khelif has won three consecutive bouts in Paris, and she will win either a gold or a silver medal when she completes the tournament on Friday against Yang Liu of China.
“I am very happy," Khelif said through an interpreter. "I’ve worked eight years for these Olympics, and I’m very proud of this moment. I would like to thank the support from people back home.”
Khelif had already clinched Algeria’s first medal in women’s boxing before she stepped into the ring to rousing roars at Court Philippe Chatrier. She then controlled her bout with Suwannapheng, who took a standing 8-count late in the third after absorbing a series of punches.
“My opponent was really good," Khelif said. "But I trained for two weeks, and I learned how she fought from videos.”
Khelif has won every round on every judge's card in her two fights that have gone the distance in Paris. She has made the most important tournament run of her international career amid criticism and stigmatization stemming from the Olympic-banished International Boxing Association's decision to disqualify her and fellow Paris medalist Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei from the world championships last year for allegedly failing an eligibility test.
