Imane Khelif secures place in Olympics boxing final after victory over Janjaem Suwannapheng

Imane Khelif has Olympic gold in her sights after beating Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the semi final of the Paris Games by unanimous decision.

The Algerian boxer, 25, has been at the centre of a gender row which started prior to this year’s Olympics.

Welterweight Khelif, along with Taiwan featherweight Lin Yu-ting Lin, was disqualified by the now-banned IBA during last year’s World Championships for failing to meet the gender eligibility criteria. The two athletes have been cleared to compete in Paris.

However, the row began ramping up when Khelif faced-off against Italy’s Angela Carini in the round of 16 last Thursday (1 August).

Carini said she was forced to abandon the match after just 46 seconds because she had never been hit so hard in her life.

Carini has since admitted that walking off ‘wasn’t something I intended to do’. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

She said: “It hurt so much. I am heartbroken.

“I went to the ring to honour my father. I was told a lot of times that I was a warrior, but I preferred to stop for my health. I have never felt a punch like this.”

Carini has since stated she wants to apologise for her behaviour.

Meanwhile, Khelif has gone from strength to strength and won her second women’s 66kg match against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in the quarter-final on Saturday (3 August).

But amid the backlash online, the boxer said she wants people to ‘refrain from bullying all athletes’ in her first interview since the controversy

In an sit-down chat with SNTV on Sunday (4 August), she said in Arabic: “I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has effects, massive effects.

Algeria’s Imane Khelif took on Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the women’s 66kg semi-final. (MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images)

“It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.

“I am in contact with my family two days a week. I hope that they weren’t affected deeply.

“They are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal, and that would be the best response.”

The athlete said she was grateful for the International Olympic Committee for letting her compete, which wasn’t the case with the International Boxing Association.

“I know that the Olympic Committee has done me justice, and I am happy with this remedy because it shows the truth,” she added.

“I don’t care about anyone’s opinion.”

Her father has also come to her defence after showing Khelif’s birth certificate on TV.

Featured Image Credit: MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images

Topics: Olympics, Sport, Imane Khelif

Imane Khelif has won her latest bout at the Olympics this afternoon (3 August).

She faced Anna Luca Hamori in the women’s 66kg quarter-final. This comes after controversy following her victory earlier this week when she faced Italy’s Angela Carini in the round-of-16.

The Italian ended up abandoning the match after 46 seconds.

Khelif is one of two boxers in this year’s Olympics who was disqualified from the 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships for not being able to meet their gender eligibility criteria.

The International Boxing Association had suggested she had elevated levels of testosterone and couldn’t compete in its events.

However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended her inclusion in the games and said it was ‘saddened’ by the abuse she has been facing.

Imane Khelif has qualified for a medal. (Eurosport)

Khelif was born and raised as a woman and has never publicly identified as a man, transgender, intersex or non-binary.

Today’s fight was surrounded in further controversy as fans called for her opponent to be disqualified over ‘disgusting’ messages on Instagram.

Hamori represented Hungary as she faced Khelif today but a series of posts she shared beforehand were deemed as ‘vile’.

She seemingly shared derogatory comments about the Algerian to her Instagram story with one image in particular causing backlash. It showed a slim, ‘feminine’ woman facing off with a muscly, beast-like ‘masculine’ figure with devil horns.

With the accusations being thrown around regarding Khelif’s gender, fans speculated Hamori was suggesting her opponent is a beast.

And many agreed on social media: “Luca Hamori’s hateful posts about Imane Khelif go against the Athletes’ Declaration. This needs to be addressed to maintain sportsmanship and respect.”

She takes home another win. (Eurosport)

Khelif had the absolute support of Algeria fans in the north Paris Arena as they cheered her on throughout the fight. While she did face a points deduction for a hit to the back of Hamori’s head, the Algerian showed great power throughout the bout.

Following the controversial fight earlier this week, the IOC issued a statement on Khelif’s inclusion in the games as it reaffirmed ‘every person has the right to practice sport without discrimination’.

“All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit,” it added.