Boxer Imane Khelif gives defiant statement as she advances to final amid ongoing gender row
The boxer at the centre of a gender row at the 2024 Paris Olympics has made it to the final of the Women's 66kg boxing welterweight division.
Algerian Imane Khelif, who failed an unspecified IBA gender test last year but has been defended by the Olympic committee, has secured herself at least a silver medal if not gold - if she can better her opponent Yang Liu, of China, on Friday (August 9).
Yesterday (August 6), the Olympian won her semi-final match against Thai boxer Janjaem Suwannapheng via a unanimous result.
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Now, Khelif has addressed the media and gave a defiant statement to silence the haters.
She said: "I don't care what anyone is saying about me with the controversy.
"All that is important to me is that I stay on the level and give my people the performance they deserve. I know I'm a talented person and this is a gift to all Algerians."
Her name could be heard being chanted by her compatriots in the crowd at Phillippe-Chatrier Court at Roland Garros, with a large portion of it being taken up by multiple Algerian flags being waved.
Khelif's latest victory comes after the 25-year-old - who was born and raised as a girl - was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships for failing an unspecified gender eligibility test.
Khelif and fellow Olympian Lin Yu-ting, a Taiwanese boxer fighting under Chinese Taipei, were disqualified.
IBA president Umar Kremlev, a friend of Vladimir Putin, claimed the test 'proved' they had XY chromosomes.
However, it is worth noting that the IBA was completely stripped of its Olympic credentials five years ago.
The Olympic Committee previously released a statement reaffirming Khelif's eligibility to compete in the Games, saying that 'every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination'.
In the face of worldwide scrutiny, both athletes guaranteed themselves a medal at this summer's Olympics, which is being held in Paris for the first time in 100 years.
While the gender row was always prevalent going into the competition, the storm started to take shape after she beat Italy's Angela Carini in just 46 seconds - with Carini throwing in the towel.
Since then, Khelif's own father has has weighed in on the row surrounding his daughter's appearance at the Olympics.
During an interview with French TV station BFMTV, Omar Khelif showed his daughter's birth certificate to viewers to prove that she was born a girl.
Team USA's current medal count - 86
Gold medalists
- Lee Kiefer: Fencing - Women's individual foil
- Torri Huske: Swimming - Women's 100m butterfly
- Jack Alexj, Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong, Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held, Matt King: Swimming - Men's 4x100m freestyle
- Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, Hezly Rivera: Artistic Gymnastics - Women's team competition
- Katie Ledecky: Swimming - Women's 1500m freestyle
- Nick Mead, Justin Best, Michael Grady and Liam Corrigan: Rowing - Men's coxless four
- Jacqueline Dubrovich, Lee Kiefer, Lauren Scruggs, Maia Mei Weintraub - Fencing: Women's foil team
- Simone Biles: Artistic Gymnastics - Women's individual all-around
- Kate Douglass: Swimming - Women's 200m breaststroke
- Simone Biles: Artistic Gymnastics - Women's vault
- Vincent Hancock: Shooting - Men's skeet
- Ryan Crouser: Athletics - Men's shot put
- Katie Ledecky: Swimming - Women's 800m freestyle
- Nic Fink, Torri Huske, Ryan Murphy, Gretchen Walsh: Swimming - Mixed 4x100m medley relay
- Bobby Finke: Swimming - Men's 1500m freestyle
- Kristen Faulkner: Cycling - Women's road race
- Scottie Scheffler: Golf - Men's individual stroke play
- Noah Lyles: Athletics - Men's 100m
- Regan Smith, Lilly King, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske: Swimming - Women's 4x100m medley relay
- Valarie Allman: Athletics - Women's discus throw
- Caroline Marks: Surfing - Women's Shortboard
- Cole Hocker: Track and field - Men's 1500m
- Gabby Thomas: Track and field - Women's 200m
- Amit Elor: Wrestling - Women's freestyle 68kg
Silver medalists
- Nic Fink: Swimming - Men's 100m breaststroke
- Lauren Scruggs: Fencing - Women's individual foil
- Gretchen Walsh: Swimming - Women's 100m butterfly
- Haley Batten: Mountain Bike - Women's cross country
- Kate Douglass, Gretchen Walsh. Torri Huske, Simone Manuel, Erika Connolly, Abbey Weitzel: Swimming - Women's 4x100m freestyle
- Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook: Diving - Women's springboard 3m synchronised
- Katie Grimes: Swimming - Women's 400m individual medley
- Jagger Eaton: Skateboarding - Men's street
- Regan Smith: Swimming - Women's 100m backstroke
- Bobby Finke: Swimming - Men's 800m freestyle
- Carson Foster, Brooks Curry, Chris Guiliano, Luke Hobson, Drew Kibler, Blake Pieroni, Kieran Smith: Swimming - Men, 4x200m freestyle
- Perris Benegas: Cycling - Women's BMX freestyle
- Torri Huske: Swimming - Women's 100m freestyle
- Regan Smith: Swimming - Women's 200m butterfly
- Erin Gemell, Katie Ledecky, Paige Madden, Simone Manuel, Anna Peplowski, Alex Shackell, Claire Weinstein: Swimming - Women's 4x200m freestyle
- Karl Cook, Laura Kraut, McLain Ward: Equestrian - Jumping team
- Sagen Maddalena: Shooting - Women, 50m rifle 3 positions
- Regan Smith: Swimming - Women's 200m backstroke
- Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram: Tennis - Men's doubles
- Conner Prince: Shooting - Men's skeet
- Joe Kovacs: Athletics - Men's shot put
- Kaylyn Brown, Bryce Deadmon, Shamier Little, Vernon Norwood: Athletics - 4x400m relay mixed
- Sha'Carri Richardson: Athletics - Women's 100m
- Kate Douglass: Swimming - Women's 200m individual medley
- Brady Ellison: Archery: Men's individual
- Hunter Armstrong, Caeleb Dressel, Nic Fink, Ryan Murphy: Swimming - Men's 4x100m medley relay
- Seth Rider, Taylor Spivey, Morgan Pearson and Taylor Knibb: Triathlon - Mixed relay
- Simone Biles: Artistic Gymnastics - Women's floor exercise
- Sam Kendricks: Athletics - Men's pole vault
- Vincent Hancock and Jewell Austen Smith: Shooting - Mixed team skeet
- Annette Nneka Echikunwoke: Track and field - Women's hammer throw
Bronze medalists
- Carson Foster: Swimming - Men's 400m individual medley
- Katie Ledecky: Swimming - Women's 400m freestyle
- Chloe Dygert: Cycling - Women's individual time trial
- Frederick Richard, Brody Malone, Stephen Nedoroscik, Paul Juda, Asher Hong: Artistic Gymnastics - Men's team competition
- Nick Itkin: Fencing - Men's foil individual
- Emma Weyant: Swimming - Women's 400m individual medley
- Ryan Murphy: Swimming - Men's 100m backstroke
- Luke Hobson: Swimming - Men's 200m freestyle
- Nyjah Huston: Skateboarding - Men's street
- Ilona Maher, Kayla Canett, Lauren Doyle, Alev Kelter, Kristi Kirshe, Sarah Levy, Alena Olsen, Ariana Ramsey, Steph Rovetti, Alex Sedrick, Sammy Sullivan, Naya Tapper: Rugby 7s - Women's team competition
- Katharine Berkoff: Swimming - Women's 100m backstroke
- Evy Leibfarth: Canoe slalom - Women's Canoe Single
- Suni Lee: Artistic Gymnastics - Women's individual all-around
- Casey Kaufhold, Brady Ellison: Archery - Mixed Team
- Grant Fisher: Athletics - Men's 10,000m
- Ian Barrows and Hans Henken: Sailing - Men's skiff
- Henry Hollingsworth, Nick Rusher, Christian Tabash, Clark Dean, Chris Carlson, Peter Chatain, Evan Olson, Pieter Quinton: Rowing - Men's eight
- Stephen Nedoroscik: Gymnastics - Men's pommel horse
- Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul: Tennis - Men's doubles
- Jade Carey: Artistic Gymnastics - Women's vault
- Jasmine Moore: Athletics - Women's triple jump
- Melissa Jefferson: Athletics - Women's 100m
- Paige Madden: Swimming - Women's 800m freestyle
- Suni Lee: Artistic Gymnastics - Women's uneven bars
- Austen Jewell Smith: Shooting - Women's skeet
- Fred Kerley: Athletics - Men's 100m
- Jordan Chiles: Artistic Gymnastics - Women's floor exercise
- Cierra Burdick, Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard, Hailey van Lith: 3x3 basketball - Women's competition
- Yared Nuguse: Track and field: Men's 1500m
- Brittany Brown: Track and field - Women's 200m
- Omari Jones: Boxing - Men's 71kg
Topics: Boxing, France, Olympics, Imane Khelif
Joe Yates