Algerian boxer Imane Kherif, who is said to have male chromosomes, defeated Hungarian boxer Anna-Luka Haronyi by unanimous decision on Saturday as Kherif’s heated battle continued in her quest for Olympic gold.
The Algerian started the week off with a win over Italian fighter Angela Carini in just 46 seconds. Her bout with Haroni didn’t end as quickly, but once again Kherif emerged as the clear winner.
With this win, Kheriff secured a place in the semi-finals.
Controversy has been stirred as both Kheriff and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting have been barred from competing in IBA-sanctioned events in 2023 after failing to meet gender testing required by the organisation’s latest rules.
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
Algeria’s Imane Kherif won an Olympic medal after beating Hungary’s Anna-Luka Hamori 5-0.
This comes just hours after Reduxx reported that World Boxing Organization Europe vice-president Istvan Kovac confirmed that Khelib is… https://t.co/S8Ar8cedWg pic.twitter.com/knVhY80lzi
— REDUXX (@ReduxxMag) August 3, 2024
According to Russia’s TASS news agency, International Boxing Association (IBA) president Umar Kremlyov explained the organisation’s decision to strip Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting and Algeria’s Imane Kherif of eligibility to compete in the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in 2023. “Based on DNA tests, it became clear that several athletes had tried to deceive their colleagues by posing as women. The tests proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes have been excluded from competition,” Kremlyov said. Said.
Imane Kherif won the competition, advancing to the Olympic semi-finals and on his way to winning an Olympic medal.
In other words, the woman had her Olympic dream dashed and her Olympic hopes dashed by the man, who then got punched in the face. And the man got what he deserved. pic.twitter.com/btcioasJGC
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) August 3, 2024
On Saturday, Olympic President Thomas Bach stress Kheriff and Yuting are “women, women, women.”
Imane Kheriff was in tears after winning again and advancing to the semi-finals. #Olympic pic.twitter.com/T7Kp0oJjN6
— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) August 3, 2024
Still, Kherif’s true gender has sparked fierce debate online and among boxing insiders, with the World Boxing Organization’s (WBO) vice president for Europe, Istvan Kovac, insisting that Kherif is male and that the organization has informed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of this.
“The issue was not with Kherif’s testosterone levels, which can now be adjusted, but with the results of the sex test which clearly showed that the Algerian boxer is biologically male,” Kovács said. Said In an interview Hungarianvia Reduxx. Kovács added that in addition to Khelib and Yutin, five other fighters were in fact identified as men.
The 5-0 victory over Harooni ensured that Khelif would win at least the bronze medal.
Before the match, Haroni showed no fear of Khelib.
“I’m not scared,” Hamoli told reporters. “I don’t care about the press reports or social media. If the candidate was a man, it would be a bigger victory for me if I won.”
The win leaves Kheriff as the favorite to win the gold medal.
