Amidst thunderous cheers, Imane Khelif through the ring, then her trainer carried her on shoulders through the hall – and the Algerian fan base freaked out: The nNorth African boxer has after almost two weeks of unfortunate Discussions about their gender identity Olympic gold won. In sporting terms, the topic is over after a clear victory in the final, and things are unlikely to get any quieter for Khelif.
In the final of the class up to 66 kilograms The 25-year-old won on Friday evening in the legendary tennis temple
Philippe Chatrier against the
Chinese world champion Yang Liu clearly on points and celebrated the greatest success of her career. It was the second gold medal for Algeria in Paris after gymnast Kaylia Nemour’s victory on the uneven bars and the second Olympic gold in boxing after featherweight Hocine Soltani in 1996 in Atlanta.
Around 14,000 spectators on the almost fully occupied Chatrier, many of them with Algerian flagsKhelif, who had previously won 41 of her 50 amateur fights, got off to a much better start and was the more agile boxer in the first round with clear hits. Yang dared more after that, but was not really able to get close to Khelif. Round two also went clearly to Khelif, and the green and white gold party had already begun in the stands – the verdict was drowned out by cries of joy from the stands.
“I am very proud of what I have achieved. I gave everything I had”Khelif said after the semi-final: “I concentrate on the competition, other things are not important.” She stuck to this approach in the final, which was – from a purely sporting point of view – the biggest fight of her life so far.
The
Debate about Khelifwhich had been going on in boxing for some time, had steadily worsened since the start of the Games.
At the latest with Khelif’s opening fight on August 1 against the Italian Angela Cariniwho gave up after 46 seconds, the case had become a political issue. The IOC and its president
Thomas Bach felt compelled to make a public statement.
The International Boxing Federation (IBA), which is no longer recognised by the IOC, reacted with a grotesque press conference.
In the social media Khelif became the focus of unspeakable pseudo-political discussions and fierce hostility. With her success in Paris, it is to be feared that these will not diminish. (sid)
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