Two weeks after being embroiled in a gender controversy, Imane Kherif became the first athlete to win an Olympic gold medal, defeating world champion Yang Liu of China by unanimous decision in the women’s 66kg division.
The 25-year-old Kherif’s biggest career victory was sealed amid jubilant scenes at Roland Garros, where a large Algerian community packed Court Philippe Chatrier and enthusiastically cheered her on throughout the gold medal match. Kherif is Algeria’s first women’s boxing Olympic gold medalist and the first boxer to win a gold medal since 1996.
“I have spoken out many times in the media about whether I am eligible to compete, whether I am a woman,” Kheriff said after her win. “I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I am a woman just like any other woman. I was born a woman, I have lived as a woman and I have competed as a woman. There is no doubt about that.” [The detractors] “I call them the enemies of success. And these attacks give my success a special flavor.”
Kheriff is one of two boxers who are the subject of a gender eligibility controversy after failing a gender eligibility test administered by the International Boxing Association (IBA) and being barred from competing in the 2023 World Boxing Championships. Lin Yuting will compete in Saturday’s 57kg final.
Prior to these incidents, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had decided to strip the IBA of its recognition as boxing’s governing body and ban it from the Olympics, citing several issues including corruption, financial transparency and governance.
Three days after Algerians in France cheered on Kherif in the semifinal, a tangible show of support after a difficult two weeks, they did so again late Friday, but with an even louder voice. After the first three final matches of the night, the crowd of 15,000 roared the moment Kherif’s name was mentioned for the first time. Chants of “Imane! Imane!” rang out around the stadium.
“My reputation is now intact,” Khelif said, “but the attacks I heard on social media were so terrible, so senseless and affected people’s dignity, and I think they changed people’s thinking.”
“As for the IBA, I have been boxing under their umbrella since 2018. They know me well, they know my abilities and how I have developed over the years. But now they are no longer recognised. They hate me and I don’t know why. I have only one message to send to them: with this gold medal, my dignity, my honour comes before anything else.”
It was an intriguing fight between two accomplished boxers with similar styles. Both are 5’10”, have excellent range and like to take their opponents down slowly. Yan, 32, is also very experienced.
After newsletter promotion
It was Yang who tried to surprise his opponent by abandoning his usual style and coming forward. Yang started the fight with strikes and gained the upper hand early on, but Kherif fought back well against Yang. The first round was unanimously decided in Kherif’s favor, giving Kherif more confidence. Yang’s experience came to the rescue in the final round, but Kherif managed to stay out of trouble.
When the final bell rang, the two players embraced and shook hands with their respective coaches, and they embraced again after Kherif was declared the winner. After a rousing celebration, an overjoyed Kherif jumped onto his coach’s shoulders and walked around the stadium as the crowd roared.
Kherif and the other three medallists appeared shortly after the medal ceremony, while most of the crowd remained in their seats and shouted the Algerian national anthem.
