Imane Khelif advances to the boxing final at the Paris 2024 Olympics

A new darling of the queer community, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is set to compete for the gold medal in the women’s boxing final at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the most LGBT+ in history. Khelif, who competes in the middleweight category, faced and defeated Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the semifinals, securing her spot in the final with a unanimous victory from the judges on Tuesday, August 6.

Since defeating Italy’s Angela Carini last week, Khelif has dealt with constant abuse on social media, despite her focus being fully on the competition. “I am focused,” Khelif said after the semi-final. “I am here to perform well and achieve my dream. I will give everything I have for the final. I am happy for all the support here in Paris. I want to thank all the people from Algeria who came here.”

Imane Khelif has been deemed eligible to participate in the women’s boxing event by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), but her recent record includes a disqualification from last year’s World Championships for not meeting the eligibility criteria.

This disqualification prompted the IOC to review the validity of the tests carried out by the International Boxing Association (IBA), not only for Khelif, but also for Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting. Khelif will face China’s Yang Liu in the final on Friday (August 9) in the hope of becoming the first Algerian woman to win a boxing gold medal.

By Ezatamentchy