Algeria’s Imane Khelif celebrates her victory over Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the semi-final of the women’s 66 kg boxing match during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, August 6, 2024 in Paris, France.
Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng (left) fights Algeria’s Imane Khelif in their semifinal women’s 66 kg boxing match during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, August 6, 2024, in Paris, France.
11:59 JST, August 7, 2024
PARIS (AP) — Algerian boxer Imane Khelif clinched the gold medal in the women’s welterweight class at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday night, moving just one victory away from what she called the best response to global criticism over gender misunderstandings.
With one more win, Khelif would win Algeria’s second gold boxing medal and its first in women’s boxing.
Khelif defeated Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng 5-0 in the semifinals at Roland Garros, where the crowd cheered and chanted her name repeatedly during her three-round bout. Khelif has won three straight bouts in Paris and will win a gold or silver medal when she completes the tournament on Friday against China’s Yang Liu.
Khelif thrived in the ring in Paris, despite criticism and stigma outside. The problems arose from the decision by the International Boxing Association, which had been banned from the Olympics, to disqualify her and fellow Paris medalist Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei from last year’s world championships after they allegedly failed a fitness test.
The controversy has become one of the biggest stories of the Paris Olympics, but it has not negatively affected her performance in the ring.
“I don’t care about that,” Khelif said through an interpreter. “I want to be ready and show a good level, show my talent, because I want to entertain everyone.”
Khelif had already secured Algeria’s first medal in women’s boxing before she entered the ring to loud cheers at Court Philippe Chatrier. She then controlled her fight with Suwannapheng, who took a standing eight count at the end of the third period after absorbing a series of punches.
“I had heard the news about her, but I didn’t follow it closely,” Suwannapheng said. “She is a woman, but she is very strong.”
Khelif has won every round on every judges card in her two fights that have gone the distance in Paris, making the most important tournament run of her international career while under the most pressure she has ever faced.
“I am very happy,” Khelif said. “I have worked for eight years for these Olympics and I am very proud of this moment. I want to thank the support of people at home.”
The end of Khelif’s first fight in Paris put her at the center of a global divide over gender identity and safety regulations in sports. Her first opponent, Angela Carini of Italy, surrendered in tears after just 46 seconds, saying she was in too much pain from Khelif’s punches.
Carini’s withdrawal from the fight prompted comments from people like former U.S. President Donald Trump, Harry Potter author JK Rowling and others who falsely claimed that Khelif was male or transgender. Carini later apologized for her decision.
In an interview Sunday with SNTV, a sports video partner of The Associated Press, Khelif said the wave of hateful criticism she faces “harms human dignity” and called for an end to bullying of athletes.
Khelif also said she felt the “best response” to the fuss surrounding her would be to win a gold medal – and now she is just one win away.
After sharing a hug with Suwannapheng and holding the ropes open for her opponent in a traditional boxing gesture of sportsmanship, Khelif celebrated by running wildly to the spot, pumping her fists in the air as the crowd cheered her on again. The celebration was more joyous than her cathartic conclusion to her quarterfinal victory over Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori, when she slammed her palm onto the canvas as she ripped.
Khelif was undergoing her post-fight medical and was on her way out of the Roland Garros arena when she was mobbed by fans at the exit. They hugged Khelif, demanded selfies and waved Algerian flags as she walked backstage.
Khelif was met with cheers that echoed through the famed tennis arena from the moment she stepped in to face Suwannapheng. Roland Garros welcomed a high-profile turnout of Algerian fans who showed their national pride for a boxer whose negative spotlight has been taken rather personally in her country.
Both fighters came out aggressively, exchanging blows from distance. Khelif was more accurate as she won the first round on all five cards, and she repeated the feat in the second.
The fight became more physical in the third round, with Suwannapheng pushing forward to mount a comeback. The bout was stopped for a standing 8 count late in the third round when Suwannapheng took a pair of headbutts in succession, though Suwannapheng appeared to shrug it off as if it wasn’t necessary — as is often the case in Olympic boxing, where referees can stop a bout for relatively minor reasons.
“I tried to use my speed, but my opponent was just too strong,” Suwannapheng said.
The 25-year-old Khelif is coming off her best amateur career at the Olympics. She’s performed solidly at the international level, even winning a couple of regional tournaments, but Khelif was never a dominant fighter on the world stage until two strong performances — and 46 seconds of easy work against a third — saw her reach the final in Paris.
The IOC and its president, Thomas Bach, have repeatedly defended the Olympic eligibility of Khelif and Lin, while condemning the IBA as incompetent and biased.
Khelif and Lin were disqualified by the IBA midway through last year’s world championships over what it claimed were failed fitness tests for the women’s competition. The IBA has been banned from the Olympics since before the Tokyo Games, and the organization struggled to articulate the reasoning for its decisions on Khelif and Lin at a news conference on Monday.
Lin also won a medal and advanced to the semifinals of the Olympics. She will fight Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey on Wednesday night.
The Algerian Olympic team has reacted strongly to the criticism and negative attention surrounding Khelif. The turnout of fans at Roland Garros shows how seriously the accusations are being taken in her home country and in the French diaspora.
Chinese Taipei has responded with equal condemnation of the IBA’s claims and the global whirlwind of scrutiny. Sports officials said Tuesday they were considering legal action against the IBA after it sent a letter protesting “the International Boxing Association’s continued publication of false information, covering up the facts and attempting to interfere with the normal conduct of the event, regardless of the rights and interests of athletes.”
