Controversial boxer Imane Khelif saluted in the ring as she was announced the unanimous winner of her gold medal fight in Paris.
There were incredible scenes after the fight with Khelif doing a victory dance and, later, was picked up and carried on the shoulders of her team.
In the women’s welterweight (66kg) final, Khelif was simply too strong and too tall for her Chinese opponent Yang Liu.
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She controlled the fight from start to finish and tears flowed on the podium when she was handed her gold medal.
Khelif has been at the centre of a gender storm throughout the Olympics due to the questionable ban she received from the International Boxing Association last year.
Misconceptions about her gender have exploded into a larger clash about identity in sports at the Games.
She has copped fierce backlash and online abuse since her story came to light, but the International Olympics Committee have stood by her and the decision to allow her to compete.
France’s huge Algerian community has also embraced Khelif throughout her Olympic run, with the coveted Philippe-Chartier Court — which usually hosts the French Open tennis major — roaring with chants of “Imane, Imane”.
Among the hate, fans have also supported her online.
Algeria FC social media account was defiant.
“Algerian women continue to make us proud,” they said on X (formerly Twitter) with an image of Khelif saluting.
“Congratulations to our Olympic champion Imane Khelif. Despite the hate, misinformation, and relentless attacks, she remained mentally strong to win the gold medal and honor Algeria,” another fan said.
The win is the biggest of Khelif’s career after she exited the Tokyo Games at the quarter-finals and lost a 2022 world championship final.
Last year, both Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting were disqualified from the world championships by the Russia-controlled IBA, which claimed they failed an eligibility test for the women’s competition.
The IBA, which has been banned from running boxing at the Olympics, has not released further information on the tests.
World leaders including Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni, major celebrities and more have questioned Khelif’s eligibility, or falsely claimed she was a man, thrusting Khelif into a larger divide over changing attitudes toward gender identity and regulations in sports.
Khelif said the level of abuse “harms human dignity,” calling for an end to bullying athletes.
Lin could also win gold in Paris, facing Julia Szeremeta of Poland in the women’s 57kg division on Saturday night.
– With AAP