Algeria’s Imane Khelif won an Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics after a controversial path through the competition.
The 25-year-old Khelif defeated Chinese boxer Yang Liu in the women’s welterweight finals on Friday in Paris. She wrapped up an unbeaten run at the 2024 Summer Olympics with a gold medal, despite many calling for her disqualification after failing a gender eligibility test in 2023.
“I’m very happy. For eight years, this has been my dream and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medallist,” Khelif said after the win. “I’ve worked for eight years, no sleep, eight years tired. Now I’m Olympic champion…
“I want to thank all the people who have come to support me. All the people from Algeria and all the people at my base. I want to thank all the team, my coach. Thank you so much.” (h/t MMA Junkie)
Khelif was at the center of controversy in recent weeks over her qualification for the Olympics despite testing positive for XY chromosomes (male) at the 2023 World Championships. She reportedly suffers from Swyer Syndrome, a rare condition in which people have an XY chromosome despite having female sexual organs.
