Imane Khelif’s path through the 2024 Olympics — through the victories in her fights and the gender controversy that has overshadowed those wins — has ended with a gold medal.
Khelif, a 25-year-old from Algeria, defeated China’s Yang Liu on Friday by unanimous decision to secure the top spot in her boxing division.
She won the first two round and that set the stage for a celebration following the third one.
Her time in Paris, though, was filled with the lingering effects of a controversy that started last year when she was disqualified from the world championships, along with Lin Yu-ting, for allegedly failing a gender test issued by the International Boxing Association.
Yu-ting, who has a gold medal fight on Saturday in her division, has blasted that test as “false” and said that the process didn’t follow proper standards.
Khelif, according to the Associated Press, said earlier in the week that she didn’t “care about that” controversy, which has followed her throughout her dominant victories.
“I wish to be ready and show a good standard, show my talent, because I want to entertain everyone,” Khelif told reporters, according to the Associated Press.
And by the end of the Olympics, that included a gold medal.
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