It’s been a challenging few days for Imane Khelif, with the back-to-back matches and global-level trolling. But despite it all, the Algerian boxer has come out victorious once again, earning her spot in the Olympics 2024 finals.
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Last night, Khelif competed against Thai boxer Janjaem Suwannapheng, winning and guaranteeing herself a silver medal. On August 10, Khelif will enter the Olympics ring a final time to fight Yang Liu of China for a chance to win Algeria its first gold for women’s boxing.
Just a day before facing the world for the semi-finals, Imane Khelif also went on record to share her experience with bullying — and with Italian boxer Angela Carini, who walked out of their fight after claiming that she had “never felt a punch like [it] in my life”. Carini’s reaction very quickly triggered a wave of speculation regarding Khelif’s gender — from some claiming that the athlete wasn’t female at all, to others spreading rumors of a possible gender switch.
Photo: Instagram.com
Speaking about the issue, Khelif shared, “Honestly, the Italian boxer has known me for a long time. And I have been visiting Italy for years… in the city of Assisi in the south for my training camps. Most of my training camps were in Italy. The coaches have known me since I was young in the national team and I used to train with them. The Italian boxer herself knew me — and knew me well. I had training sessions with her in the rings in Assisi,” Khelif revealed. “They took advantage of the media campaign against me to affect me but I will work to reach the goal I am here for.” The boxer also used her time on camera to share a message of positivity: “I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympics principles, according to the Olympics charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes because this thing has effects, massive effects. It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit, and mind. And it can divide people.”
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The issue was also spoken about by the IOC, with spokesperson Mark Adams reading out an official statement that mentioned that “The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport.” During the interview, Khelif shared her gratitude for the committee, saying, “I am grateful to the IOC, who spoke the truth. I am very proud to represent Algeria. Thanks to God, this is the first women’s medal for boxing in Algeria. In the Olympics, there are no easy passes. Hopefully I will be ready for the next match for my country that I love so much. And I hope it will be a good one for the next generation.”
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Carini has now also apologized for her statements. “All this controversy certainly made me sad, and I also felt sorry for my opponent. She had nothing to do with it and, like me, was only here to fight,” she said. “It was not intentional; in fact, I apologize to her and to everyone… I was angry, because my Games had already gone up in smoke. I have nothing against Khelif; on the contrary, if I happened to meet her again, I would give her a hug.”
Here’s wishing Imane Khelif the very best of luck for the final match on August 10.
