Imane Khelif Clinches Olympic Boxing Gold with Victory Over China’s Yang Liu

Imane Khelif celebrated her victory at the Olympics, winning gold in the women’s welterweight boxing division.

Her triumph came a year after being disqualified from the World Championships due to gender eligibility issues.

Khelif, who defeated Chinese world champion Yang Liu by unanimous decision, expressed that overcoming the “attacks” and controversy surrounding her gender made the victory even sweeter.

The 25-year-old Algerian firmly asserted her identity, stating, “I am a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman. I have lived as a woman. I competed as a woman – there is no doubt about that.”

The boxer claimed to have faced “bullying” and felt that the International Boxing Association (IBA) held a grudge against her, though she was unsure of the reasons.

Khelif’s performance in the ring was commanding. As she celebrated her win, she danced and showed off her victory, sharing a warm embrace with Liu after the fight.

The Chinese fighter, in a show of sportsmanship, raised Khelif’s arm in the air.

The Algerian crowd’s support was evident, with many waving their green, white, and red flags as Khelif was carried around the arena by her coach.

In a nod to the ongoing gender eligibility debates, Lin Yu-ting, another athlete affected by similar rulings, is set to fight in the featherweight final against Poland’s Julia Szeremeta.

As Khelif stood on the podium with tears in her eyes and the Algerian national anthem played, she received applause from fellow competitors and medallists, marking a deeply emotional and significant moment in her career.