Algerian boxer Imane Khelif triumphs after days of abuse over 'gender controversy'

 

Algerian welterweight boxer Imane Khelif beat Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori by a unanimous decision in the quarter finals in the North Paris Arena Friday night after facing days of online abuse following accusations that the 25-year-old fighter is secretly a man. It’s a bittersweet victory for Khelif, who continues to endure rampant speculation about whether she and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting – neither of whom has ever identified as anything other than a woman – should be allowed to step back into the ring. 

The fight lasted just 46 seconds, but the blows haven't stopped. Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has been the target of a wave of online abuse after her first fight in the Paris Olympics on Thursday came to an abrupt end in the first round, her opponent unwilling – or unable – to continue.

Her fellow welterweight, Italy's Angela Carini, withdrew from the fight after a series of heavy blows pushed her back into her corner and down onto her knees. Speaking after the fight, tears still running down her face, she said she'd never been hit as hard in her life. For Khelif's detractors, her shock victory has a simple explanation: she's a man. 

The controversy isn't new. Khelif was disqualified from last year’s boxing world championships along with Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-Ting by the International Boxing Association (IBA), which announced that both athletes had failed an unspecified test that ruled them ineligible to compete in the women’s category. Khelif had previously represented Algeria in the Tokyo Olympics, where she was eliminated in the quarter finals. 

The IBA this week clarified that the tests had not been related to testosterone levels, although it refused to say what kind of tests they had been, citing privacy reasons. Neither woman publicly identifies as transgender, and Khelif’s family maintains that she was born and raised a woman. 

IBA president Umar Kremlev told Russian state-owned media last year that a DNA test had revealed the athletes had both X and Y chromosomes. The IBA has been banned from any involvement with the Games since 2019 following repeated allegations of financial mismanagement. 

Speaking on the morning of the fight, International Olympics Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach suggested that the allegations against the two women were part of a broader campaign by the Russian-led boxing association to tarnish the Games’ image. Just 15 Russian athletes are competing in the Paris Olympics, with competitors from Russia and Belarus banned from entering the Games' under their countries' flags following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 

“Let’s be very clear here: we are talking about women’s boxing,” Bach said. “We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women. And this is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman.”

There is now. Influential right-wing figures including former US president Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk have both publicly accused Khelif of being a man, saying she had no place in women’s sports. Images of Carini, stricken and sobbing, have been widely posted across social media, often with captions accusing the IOC of facilitating male violence against women. 

Nor is it all of the abuse coming from anonymous netizens. The day before her fight in the women's 66kg quarter finals on Saturday evening, Khelif’s opponent, Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hamori, had herself shared an image on Instagram that had spread across the internet in the wake of the Algerian fighter’s victory over Carini. Beneath the Olympic rings, two boxers face one another. On the left is a woman dressed in blue, waifish and fine-boned, with unbound brown hair and a wasp-thin waist. 

On the right is a monster. Obviously male, black-skinned and swollen with muscles, the beast bares his teeth and looms over the woman, his blunt head crowned with twisting demonic horns. He’s wearing red trunks, the same colour trunks that Khelif wore when she fought the Italian welterweight. Hamori later deleted the post. 

So perhaps it’s not surprising when Saturday comes that the press stands are packed and the crowd is screaming Khelif’s name well before the Algerian fighter enters the ring in the North Paris Arena. The crescent moon and star of the Algerian flag is everywhere – Khelif’s supporters have filled the stadium to cheer their champion on. 

Rahmouna, a former English teacher, said that she had felt she had had no other choice than to show her support for the Algerian welterweight. 

“I came from Lille to support Imane, it wasn’t planned,” she said. “Even though tickets were going fast, we saw that it was important for us to be there for Imane because of the social media harassment that she suffered.”

She said that she had been shocked by the wave of online abuse that had been directed at Khelif. 

“It’s not normal, it’s not fair, it’s not objective,” she said. “Because the Olympic Committee confirmed that Imane is not transgender. Imane is a woman, she was born a woman, she grew up as a woman, it’s been confirmed by her family and by the people around her. It’s not the first time that she’s fought in an international competition, but it’s the first time that we’ve heard this kind of aberrant treatment.”

All through the previous fight, where Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng beat defending champion Busenav Surmeneli in a split decision, the crowd has been shouting its support for Algeria in anticipation of the fight to come. Now, as their champion enters the ring, the chant changes, and it’s Imane’s name that echoes. Her black hair tied in tight braids against her head, she steps through the ropes. 

She’s in an impossible position. If she wins, she will face another frenzy of social media slander, with public figures accusing her of being a man who beats women for sport. If she loses, the same people will never let her forget it. 

Hamori is booed on her way to the ring, her own blonde hair pulled back beneath a black bandana. Facing each other in the ring, there’s not much between them – Khelif is maybe a little taller, a little leaner. They brush gloves and the fight begins. 

The first two rounds go comfortably to Khelif, who drives Hamori back time and time again with unerring jabs. The third round is uglier – both fighters throw themselves into staggering grapples, leaning against one another like drunks, each one bringing their opponent down to the mat in their turn. The final bell sounds, and the judges are unanimous – Khelif has won the fight. No matter what happens in her next match, she’ll be leaving Paris with a medal. 

The two boxers shake hands and Khelif bounds around the ring, buoyed up by the clamour. Then something changes. She drops to her knees and slams a fist down on the mat over and over before striding into her coach’s arms. She’s sobbing. 

The press room is mayhem. Journalists crawl over one another to get within shouting distance of the exhausted athletes, stumbling over the metal barriers in the crowd. Imane speaks to Algerian state media and walks out of the room without another word, still visibly upset. The few words she'd spoken had been fighting ones.

"It's a battle, it's for my dignity," she said. 

Hamori stays, telling the increasingly cramped journalists that it was “a good fight”.

“I’m so proud of myself, because I had to fight, and I like to fight,” she said “This was a hard fight, but I think I got to do everything I wanted for the fight, and I think in this fight, I’m so proud of myself, and I’m so grateful to be here.”

It’s not what they want to hear. They just have one question: was it a fair fight? Hungary’s IOC representative Balazs Furjes is enigmatic, saying that Hamori had fought “very bravely”. 

“We are one hundred percent convinced, one hundred percent convinced, that the International Olympic Committee will make the right decisions,” he said.

Outside, the Algerian supporters are piled dozens deep waiting for Khelif. When security tells them she won’t be leaving the stadium this way, their faces fall. A delirious celebration breaks out on the way back to the train station. Rahmouna is grinning, elated at Khelif’s success. 

“She proved that she doesn’t just have the body of an athlete, she has the spirit of an athlete as well – she proved that today,” she said. “We cried, we had so many emotions when we saw her win the fight. At the end of the day it’s humanity that has won, it’s human values that have won and it’s sport that has won today.” 

The 23-year-old claimed the dash in 10.72 seconds. Sha'carri Richardson from the United States was second and her compatriot Melissa Jefferson finished third in 10.92 seconds.

“It means a lot to me," said Alfred. "It means a lot to my coach. It means a lot to my country. I'm sure they’re celebrating right now.”

Alfred, who trains in the United States, left the eastern Caribbean island during her early teens first to go to Jamaica before moving to the University of Texas.

She said she started the day watching highlights of the legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt to inspire her.

In 2008 in Beijing, he famously attributed his gold medal-winning run in the 100m to capacious helpings of chicken nuggets and catnaps.

After her historic feat, she dedicated the medal to her late father.

"He believed that I could do it. He passed away in 2013 - now he couldn’t get to see me on the biggest stage of my career. He believed that I could be an Olympian.

"Growing up I used to be on the field, struggling with no shoes, running barefoot, running in my school uniform.

"We barely had facilities. I’m really hoping this gold medal helps the youth and helps St Lucian government to also build the new stadium to just keep the sport growing."

Pedigree

Alfred was the only sprinter at the Olympics besides Richardson to break 10.8 seconds this year.

When they lined up next to each other in the semi-finals, it was billed as part of the psychological warfare.

Alfred won that race by .05 of a second. In the final on a rain-soaked track, she tripled that margin.

The result meant the United States' 28-year gold medal drought in the event goes on.

Gail Devers was their last winner in 1996. Marion Jones was stripped of her 2000 Olympic gold for doping.

Elsewhere on the track, Norway's Markus Rooth won the prize as the best all round athlete.

The 21-year-old claimed the decathlon with 8796. Leo Neugebauer from Germany was second with 8748 points and Lindon Victor from Grenada was third.

History man Evenepoel adds Olympic road race gold to time trial title

Cyclist Remco Evenepoel on Saturday surged to the Olympic road race crown to become the first rider to claim the title along with the gold medal for the time.

Superstar Kharlan inspires Ukraine to Olympic gold in sabre team event

Five days after dedicating her bronze medal in the individual sabre event to the Ukrainian people, Olha Kharlan had an Olympic gold to give them following victory over South Korea to claim the sabre team event.

Simone Biles is the queen of Paris and adds her third gold in gymnastics.

The American gymnast has won 10 Olympic medals in her career.

Every year on Aug. 3, Katie Ledecky is reminded of her first Olympic gold medal.

She was just 15 years old, a reserved high schooler who had surprisingly made the U.S. swim team for the London Games. Then she went out and shocked the world, beating everyone in the 800-meter freestyle.

Twelve years to the day, Ledecky did it again.

Not a stunner, but one for the ages.

Gold medal No. 9.

Ledecky capped another stellar Olympics by becoming only the second swimmer to win an event at four straight Summer Games, holding off Ariarne Titmus, the “Terminator,” to win the 800 free Saturday night.

It was Ledecky’s second gold medal in Paris and the ninth of her remarkable career, which marked another milestone.

She became only the sixth Olympian to reach that figure, joining swimmer Mark Spitz, track star Carl Lewis, Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina and Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi in a tie for second place.

The only athlete to win more golds: swimmer Michael Phelps with 23.

Ledecky was very aware of the significance of the date.

“Every Aug. 3, the video (of her first Olympic gold) gets posted somewhere and you kind of reminisce,” she said. “So, when I saw it was Aug. 3, I was like, ‘Oh boy, I’ve got to get the job done.’”

That she did, going faster than her winning time in Tokyo to finish in 8 minutes, 11.04 seconds. Titmus was right on her shoulder nearly the entire race, but Ledecky pulled away in the final 100.

Titmus, who beat Ledecky in the 400 freestyle, settled for silver at 8:12.29. The bronze went to another American, Paige Madden at 8:13.00.

Phelps had been the only swimmer to win the same event at four straight Olympics, taking gold in the 200 individual medley at Athens, Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro.

Now he’s got company.

Titmus added some perspective to Ledecky’s consistency over the last dozen years, noting where she was when the American won that first gold in London.

“I was in grade six in primary school,” Titmus said. “That’s how remarkable she is.”

Their friendly rivalry has driven both to greater heights. They each won two golds and four medals at these games, which pushed Ledecky to 14 overall and left the 23-year-old Aussie with four golds and eight medals in her career.

“To think that ... I challenged her into her fourth consecutive in the 800 is pretty cool,” Titmus said. “I feel very honored and privileged to be her rival, and I hope I’ve made her a better athlete. She has certainly made me become the athlete I am. I felt so privileged to race alongside her.”

Ledecky has dominated the distance freestyle events over the last dozen years — and isn’t done yet. She’s made it clear she plans to keep swimming at least through the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“It’s not easy,” Ledecky said. “I’ll take it year by year, and we’ll see if I can keep giving everything I’ve got for as long as I have left in me.”

Another gold for Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh

Summer McIntosh stamped herself as one of the swimming stars of the Paris Olympics with her third individual gold medal, winning the 200 individual medley.

The 17-year-old Canadian chased down American Alex Walsh and held off another U.S. swimmer, Kate Douglass, to finish in an Olympic record of 2:06.56.

Douglass grabbed the silver in the star-studded final at 2:06.92, but the Americans lost the bronze when Walsh, the silver medalist in this event at Tokyo who recorded a time of 2:07.06, was disqualified because she did not finish the backstroke segment on her back.

Kaylee McKeown, who touched fourth, was bumped up to the bronze at 2:08.08.

It was a bitter blow for Walsh, whose younger sister, Gretchen, has won a gold medal and two silvers in Paris.

McIntosh set several world records ahead of the Paris Olympics, and she backed up the enormous expectations by claiming a starring role at La Defense Arena along with Léon Marchand and Ledecky.

McIntosh also won gold medals in the 200 butterfly and 400 IM, plus a silver in the 400 freestyle. She fell just 0.88 seconds — the margin of her loss to Titmus — shy of matching Marchand’s four individual golds.

“It’s pretty surreal,” said McIntosh, who became the first Canadian athlete to win three golds in a single Olympics. “I’m just so proud of myself and how I’ve been able to recover and manage events.”

U.S. sets world record in mixed relay

The United States made up for a disappointing showing in Tokyo by setting a world record in the 4x100 mixed medley relay.

Ryan Murphy, Nic Fink, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske held off China for a winning time of 3:37.43, breaking the mark of 3:37.58 set by Britain when it won gold in the wild and woolly event’s Olympic debut three years ago.

With each team picking two men and two women, the U.S. and China both went with their male swimmers in the first two legs.

Murphy put the U.S. in front on the backstroke, China’s Qin Haiyang slipped past Nic Fink on the breaststroke, but Walsh stormed back in front for the Americans on the butterfly before Huske held off Yang Junxuan to secure the gold.

For Huske, it was her second gold to go with two silvers in Paris.

The Chinese team, which also included Xu Jiayu and Zhang Yufei, took silver in 3:37.55. The bronze went to Australia in 3:38.76.

Marchand swam the breaststroke leg for France but couldn’t add to his already impressive haul. The French finished fourth, more than two seconds behind the Aussies.

When the British won gold in 2021, the Americans finished fifth. Britain was seventh this time.

The U.S. bumped its total to six golds, one behind leading Australia with four events remaining Sunday. The Americans are assured of winning the overall medal count with 25.

Hungarian claims butterfly gold

Kristóf Milák of Hungary won the men’s 100 butterfly, chasing down three swimmers on the return lap.

Milák was only fourth at the turn, but he rallied to touch in 49.90. Canada grabbed the silver and bronze, with Josh Liendo finishing in 49.99 and Ilya Kharun next at 50.45.

Milák had failed to defend his Olympic title in the 200 butterfly, settling for a silver behind French star Marchand.

Milák claimed silver in the 100 fly three years ago, but he didn’t have to worry about the guy who beat him in that race. American Caeleb Dressel stunningly failed to qualify for the final.

Kharun added another bronze to the one he garnered in the 200 butterfly.