Caitlin Clark was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year without much competition, but the one vote-getter sparked a lot of controversy over the summer.
A group of 74 Associated Press sports journalists and their members voted for the award. Clark received 35 votes, followed by Olympic gymnast Simone Biles in second place with 25 votes.
However, Olympic gold medalist boxer Imane Kerif came in third place with four votes.
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Imane Kerif of the Algerian team celebrates her victory against Anna Luca Hamori of the Hungarian team after the women's 66kg quarterfinal match on the eighth day of the 2024 Paris Olympics. It was held on August 3, 2024 at the North Paris Arena in Paris, France. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Kerif qualified for the Paris Olympics, but her gender was called into question at the 2023 championships when she was disqualified before the gold medal match over gender eligibility issues.
IBA president Umar Kremlev said the boxer had “XY chromosomes” associated with biological males.
Boxer Angela Carini withdrew from her match with Kerif in Paris, saying “one punch hurt too much.''
Although Kerif won the gold medal in Paris, she was not the only boxer to win a women's gold medal who was disqualified after failing a gender eligibility test. Lin Yuting of Taiwan, who won gold in another women's weight class in Paris, sparked similar outrage.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended Kerif and Yuting's participation in the women's event until the very end.
Algeria's Imane Kherif (left) competes against China's Liu Yang in the women's gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Sebastian Carnath/Photo in association with Getty Images)
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“These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. They were abruptly disqualified without due process towards the end of the 2023 IBA World Championship,” the IOC said during the match. said.
Kerif later won a gold medal. Kerif did not lose a single round on any scoreboard in Paris.
Carini claimed the win was “revenge” after winning her eighth Italian women's title earlier this month.
Gold medalist Imane Kherif of Algeria stands on the podium during the medal ceremony for the final category of boxing in the women's 66 kg category at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on August 9, 2024. (MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Kerif became the most Googled athlete of the year, largely due to the controversy.
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