Midst controversy, Algeria’s Imane Khelif clinched her country’s first-ever Olympic gold in women’s welterweight boxing, defeating China’s Yang Liu in a tense final on Friday in Paris.
Khelif, who had previously secured a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships, found herself at the center of controversy alongside Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting during the Paris Games, due to a gender dispute that attracted widespread media attention.
Both Khelif and Lin were disqualified from the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after a sex chromosome test deemed them ineligible to compete. However, they were later cleared to participate in the Paris Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) took over the organization of boxing events, following the IBA’s loss of status as the sport’s governing body.
The IOC dismissed the IBA-ordered tests as arbitrary and illegitimate, opting instead to follow the eligibility criteria from the 2016 and 2021 Olympics, which do not involve gender testing.
In the final, Khelif’s supporters filled the stadium, waving Algerian flags and cheering her on to victory. This triumph not only marks Khelif’s first Olympic medal but also secures Algeria’s first-ever gold in boxing.
Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng and Taiwan’s Chen Nien-chin were awarded bronze medals in the event.
