Imane Khelif Guarantees Olympic Medal After Gender Outcry

Imane Khelif was victorious Saturday and will secure herself at least a bronze medal in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

The Algerian boxer defeated Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary 5:0 in the quarterfinals of the women’s welterweight bout. Khelif was emotional after her win and thanked those who have supported her.

Saturday’s result came after Khelif won her opening bout at the Paris games when opponent Angela Carini of Italy tearfully abandoned the fight after just 46 seconds.

Last year, the banned International Boxing Association claimed Khelif failed an unspecified eligibility test to compete over elevated levels of testosterone. Khelif’s opening-round win drew comments from the likes of former U.S. President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” writer J.K. Rowling and others falsely claiming Khelif was a man or transgender; Algeria has strict laws against LGBTQ+ people. The 25-year-old is a cis-gendered woman born with DSD.

The IBA disqualified Khelif and Lin Yu-ting from its world championships, but the IOC allowed the boxers to compete and said the IBA decision to disqualify the boxers last year was arbitrary.

Khelif, who failed to medal at the Tokyo Games held in 2021, will face Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand in the semifinals Tuesday at Roland Garros. Suwannpheng, a silver medalist at last year’s world championships, upset defending Olympic champion Busenaz Surmeneli in the quarterfinals.