Boxer Imane Khelif has announced a major career move just months after her Olympics gender row.
After weeks of intense scrutiny amid a gender controversy, Imane Khelif secured her first Olympic gold medal by defeating China’s Yang Liu in the women’s 66kg boxing final by unanimous decision back in August.
The 25-year-old Algerian celebrated her greatest career achievement at Roland Garros, surrounded by enthusiastic support from the Algerian diaspora.
This historic win made Khelif the first Algerian woman to win an Olympic boxing gold and the first Algerian boxer overall since 1996 to achieve this feat.
But now, Khelif has announced a major career change.
Reflecting on the controversy surrounding her participation in the 2024 Olympics, Khelif stated, per The Guardian: “As for whether I qualify or not, whether I am a woman or not, I have made many statements in the media. I am fully qualified to take part in this competition.
“I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman, I lived a woman, and I competed as a woman, there’s no doubt about that.
[The detractors] are enemies of success, that is what I call them. And that also gives my success a special taste because of these attacks.”
She and Lin Yu-ting, who competed in the 57kg final, faced gender eligibility debates after being barred from the 2023 world championships due to failing a gender eligibility test by the International Boxing Association (IBA).
Prior to the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had revoked the IBA’s status as boxing’s official governing body due to concerns about corruption, governance, and financial transparency.
Khelif’s victory was met with overwhelming support, as the 15,000-strong crowd at Roland Garros cheered for her, chanting ‘Imane! Imane!’ after the earlier matches concluded.
“My honor is intact now,” Khelif declared, addressing the online criticism she faced.
“The attacks that I heard in social media were extremely bad and they are meaningless and they impact the dignity of people and I think that now people’s thinking has changed.”
Khelif also expressed disappointment toward the IBA, with whom she had been boxing since 2018, saying: “They hate me and I don’t know why.
I send them a single message: with this gold medal, my dignity, my honor is above everything else.”
In a hard-fought match between two evenly matched opponents with similar height and reach, Khelif’s confidence grew after securing the first round by unanimous decision.
Even as Yang pressed aggressively, Khelif maintained control, effectively countering Yang’s attempts to dominate.
At the final bell, the two athletes embraced, and Khelif celebrated by leaping onto her coach’s shoulders to acknowledge the roaring crowd.
The celebration continued with the medal ceremony, where Khelif and her fellow medalists returned to the ring, the Algerian national anthem ringing out as supporters filled the arena with cheers.
After clinching an Olympic gold medal in Paris, however, Khelif is preparing to join the professional ranks.
Khelif faced scrutiny following her first win of the summer when her opponent Angela Carini withdrew within 46 seconds after receiving just one punch.
Amidst these challenges, Khelif remained resilient, ultimately claiming gold and announcing her intentions to transition to professional boxing.
And at a press conference on October 20, Khelif also shared that a documentary on her life and career is in development.
“I will soon enter the world of professional boxing,” Khelif said, as reported by The Independent.
“I have many offers. Currently, I have not decided where I will enter professional boxing. But very soon, I will take this step. We, as Algerians, would like to see our level in the field of professionalism.”
