Imane Khelif, the Algerian fighter who has failed two gender tests, is guaranteed a shot at an Olympic medal after beating Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in their welterweight bout by unanimous decision, following a tumultuous couple of days after her victory by abandonment against Italy’s Angela Carini.
Carinitook two blows to the face and withdrew from her fight, sparking an online frenzy over Khelif’s eligibility, but Hamori went the full three rounds, undeterred but unsuccessful as Khelif won on all five scorecards in all three rounds.
In the days since the Carini fight, Khelif has been subject to a torrent of criticism, some of it falsely assuming she is transgender. Her only words to the press after the victory on Saturday were: “I am a woman”.
Imane Khelif defeated Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary in the women's 66kg quarter-final boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Photo / Getty Images
Hamori herself had stoked the fire before the fight, reposting an image that depicted Khelif as a beast, but the two shared no less than three embraces after the fight, before Khelif celebrated with the large Algerian contingent in the crowd and subsequently broke down into tears as she left the arena.
The controversy will continue in the wake of her victory, a 23-year-old denied a medal fight by a woman who is banned from International Boxing Association competition on the basis of these failed tests.
The fifth seed marches into a semifinal against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng on Tuesday with plenty of confidence, her jab keeping Hamori at bay and her counter-game scoring points frequently.
The other disqualified IBA fighter, Lin Yu-Ting, fights on Sunday at 9pm (NZ time).
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