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Algeria's Imane Khelif watches during her women's 66kg preliminaries round of 16 boxing match against Italy's Angela Carini during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte on August 1, 2024. Mohd Rasfan, AFP

Algeria's Imane Khelif watches during her women's 66kg preliminaries round of 16 boxing match against Italy's Angela Carini during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte on August 1, 2024. (Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP)

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Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1723261169107AFP__20240801__368D4NT__v1__HighRes__BoxingOlyParis2024.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Algeria&#x27;s Imane Khelif watches during her women&#x27;s 66kg preliminaries round of 16 boxing match against Italy&#x27;s Angela Carini during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte on August 1, 2024. Mohd Rasfan, AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Algeria&#x27;s Imane Khelif watches during her women&#x27;s 66kg preliminaries round of 16 boxing match against Italy&#x27;s Angela Carini during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte on August 1, 2024. <em>Mohd Rasfan, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>PARIS, France -- Algerian boxer Imane Khelif defied a major gender controversy to win gold at the Paris Olympics on Friday in front of a pulsating Roland Garros crowd that roared her to victory.</p><p>Khelif claimed a unanimous points decision win over China&#x27;s Yang Liu in the women&#x27;s 66kg final and was paraded around the arena on a team member&#x27;s shoulders.</p><p>Taiwan&#x27;s Lin Yu-ting, who together with Khelif was disqualified from last year&#x27;s world championships after failing gender eligibility testing, fights in the women&#x27;s 57kg final on Saturday.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m very happy. For eight years this has been my dream and I&#x27;m now the Olympic champion and gold medallist,&quot; said Khelif, 25.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;ve worked for eight years, no sleep, eight years tired. Now I&#x27;m Olympic champion.&quot;</p><p>There were large numbers of Algerian fans at the 15,000-seat Court Philippe Chatrier, usually home to Grand Slam tennis but instead there to witness one of the most controversial athletes at the Games.</p><p>Standing 1.79 meters (5ft 9in), Khelif had enjoyed a height and strength advantage over the three opponents she comfortably dismantled on her way to the final.</p><p>Yang was a different proposition, the 32-year-old being nearly as tall and having pedigree as a world champion.</p><p>Loud cheers went up when Khelif entered the arena, shadow-boxing her way towards the ring as chants of &quot;Imane, Imane&quot; rang out.</p><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="3065547"></ivs-player></div><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script><p>Khelif dictated most of the first round from the center of the ring and unloaded a flurry of punches on Yang two-thirds of the way through to take the early initiative.</p><p>The second round started in the same way, with Khelif&#x27;s punches appearing to carry more snap, power and menace.</p><p>The Algerian was ahead on all the judges&#x27; scorecards heading into the third and final round, and she just needed to avoid serious trouble to claim gold.</p><p>The two embraced at the bell, and after Khelif&#x27;s comprehensive victory was confirmed, she did a jig in the center of the ring and thumped her chest.</p><p>&quot;I want to thank all the people who have come to support me,&quot; said Khelif, after winning her country&#x27;s second gold in Paris.</p><p>&quot;All the people from Algeria and all the people at my base. I want to thank all the team, my coach. Thank you so much.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/8/3/imane-khelif-olympics-boxer-in-gender-row-guaranteed-at-least-bronze-113">READ: Imane Khelif, Olympics boxer in gender row, guaranteed at least bronze</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/8/6/algerian-boxer-in-paris-olympics-gender-row-marches-into-final-541">READ: Algerian boxer in Paris Olympics gender row marches into final</a></div><div><strong>- What&#x27;s the controversy? -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/83mdkV9lTK4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span>Khelif and Lin both fought at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago but there was no controversy at the time and neither won a medal.</div><p>Both were thrown out of last year&#x27;s world championships, which was run by the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA), but were cleared to compete in Paris.</p><p>The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has overseen the sport at the Games because of concerns over the IBA&#x27;s running of boxing, including questions over its finances, ethics and judging of bouts.</p><p>The gender controversy ignited in the French capital when Khelif defeated Angela Carini in 46 seconds in her opening bout, the Italian reduced to tears and abandoning the fight after suffering a badly hurt nose.</p><p>The IBA&#x27;s Kremlin-linked president Umar Kremlev claimed at a chaotic press conference this week that Khelif and Lin had undergone &quot;genetic testing that shows that these are men&quot;.</p><p>The IOC has leapt to the defense of both boxers, with president Thomas Bach saying they were born and raised as women, and have passports saying that.</p><p>Neither is known to identify as transgender, and they have enjoyed strong support back home.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zyVKfuv1Ue8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIOix4NzEl4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Algerian boxer Imane Khelif defied a major gender controversy to win gold at the Paris Olympics on Friday in front of a pulsating Roland Garros crowd that roared her to victory.</p>

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif defied a major gender controversy to win gold at the Paris Olympics on Friday in front of a pulsating Roland Garros crowd that roared her to victory.

Paris 2024: Algerian gender-row boxer Imane Khelif storms to Olympic gold

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Paris 2024: Algerian gender-row boxer Imane Khelif storms to Olympic gold

Agence France-Presse,

Peter Stebbings

Published Aug 10, 2024 11:41 AM PHT

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Updated Aug 10, 2024 02:46 PM PHT

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abssports

boxing

Imane Khelif

Yang Liu

Paris Olympics

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2024 Olympics

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