In addition to joy and relief, Imane Khelif also feels satisfaction after her victory in the final. The Algerian responds to the controversy surrounding her and a second boxer from Taiwan who was entitled to compete.
After her Olympic victory, the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif also feels great satisfaction because of the gender debate that has been going on around her. “I want to say to everyone who was against me and started a campaign against me: This is my answer, I am a strong woman,” said the 25-year-old after her victory in the welterweight final against the Chinese world champion Yang Liu. “I gave them an answer, and my answer was a gold medal.”
Khelif had already shown how great her joy and relief were immediately after her unanimous point victory on Friday evening on Court Philippe Chatrier in front of around 15,000 spectators. She performed her celebratory dance in the middle of the ring and was then carried on the shoulders of a supporter to the thunderous cheers of the numerous Algerian fans. When she was given the gold medal at the awards ceremony shortly before midnight, she rubbed it briefly and then gave it a kiss.
Even Trump got involved
There is a heated debate about the right to compete between Khelif and Lin Yu-ting (28) from Taiwan, who will fight for gold in the featherweight division against Poland’s Julia Szeremeta this evening. This debate also took on a socio-political dimension during the Olympics, and even Donald Trump discovered it as a sensitive issue in the US presidential election campaign.
Both boxers were excluded from the 2023 World Cup after gender tests that have not yet been explained in detail by the IBA, which is no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee. According to the IBA, both did not meet the required participation criteria and had “competitive advantages compared to other female participants.”
The IOC called it an “arbitrary decision without due process” and allowed Khelif and Lin to take part in Paris. The gender stated in the passport is decisive for admission to competitions in many sports, was one reason given. The IOC warned of a “culture war”. The controversial Russian IBA President Umar Kremlev criticized that the current debate was “destroying” sport.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
