Imane Khelif Advances to Olympic Boxing Final

Imane Khelif will fight for an Olympic gold medal on Friday after she overcame the controversy surrounding her eligibility and won her semi-final against Janjaem Suwannapheng in Paris. The Algerian welterweight, disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from last year’s World Championships for failing gender eligibility tests, dominated her Thai opponent and won by unanimous decision at the repurposed Court Philippe Chatrier. Khelif secured her first Olympic final with this victory, following her quarter-final exit in Tokyo three years ago.

She will compete against Liu Yang of China, aiming to become Algeria’s first boxing gold medallist. “I am focused and here for a good performance and my dream. I will give everything I have for the final,” said the 25-year-old. The crowd celebrated Khelif’s semi-final win with wild support and after the result, she danced on the canvas and embraced her opponent. Suwannapheng acknowledged Khelif’s strength, stating, “She is a woman, but she is very strong. I tried to use my speed, but my opponent was just too strong.”

Khelif began her journey with a 46-second victory over Angela Carini last week, sparking debate over her and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting’s eligibility. The IBA disqualified both for not meeting the eligibility criteria for women’s competitions but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed them to compete, strongly backing them. IOC President Thomas Bach stated there was “never any doubt” about their gender.

A chaotic IBA news conference on Monday added to the confusion with conflicting statements about their disqualification. The IOC clarified that competitors were eligible if their passports identified them as female. With her semi-final win, Imane Khelif now guarantees at least a bronze medal and will compete for gold in three days. Lin Yu-ting will fight in her semi-final in the 57kg category on Wednesday.