Imane Khelif claimed gold for Algeria at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, after defeating women’s welterweight boxer Yang Liu of China on Friday.
In case you missed it, the Algerian boxer has been caught in a bit of controversary since joining the Olympic games. That’s because Khelif reportedly failing eligibility tests back in 2023, leading some to question her true gender. In fact, Khelif has sparked much discussion around the sports community as she has worked her way to Friday’s final.
Even some of the biggest stars in combat sports have chimed in on the gender controversy surrounding Khelif.
Luckily for Khelif, she had her chance to redeem herself on Friday and rise above all of the hard-to-miss distractions. Liu is a tough opponent — evident by her 33 professional boxing bouts — and deserved to be on the grand stage with her own chance to hoist Olympic gold. In the end, it was another dominant performance by Khelif, who exits Paris with the biggest prize in the games. Check out the official fight announcement below:
NOW – Imane Khalif wins gold medal in women’s boxing.pic.twitter.com/J2MTrYPtaG
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) August 9, 2024
Imane Khelif just won the gold in the women’s welterweight final at the Olympicspic.twitter.com/eUPSe0XXh5
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) August 9, 2024
While social media and the combat community offered mixed reviews for Khelif’s victory, the country of Algeria showed full support for their fighter. After all, Khelif just won Olympic gold. Check out some of the post-fight celebration below:
-Celebration Now in Algeria after the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won the gold medal
-Célébration en Algérie après que la boxeuse algérienne Imane Khelif a remporté la médaille d’or.#Imane_Khelif #Iman_Khalif #?????_???? pic.twitter.com/Uo3wV8oWMh
— Chouat Abderrahmene (@VanStorek) August 9, 2024