Khelif clinches Olympic boxing medal amid media frenzy (2024)

VILLEPINTE, France — Following days of furor surrounding the Olympic eligibility of women’s boxer Imane Khelif, the Algerian’s quarterfinal bout against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori went on as planned Saturday.

The result: a Khelif victory, an emotional outpouring and a frenzied media circus.

Khelif won in a unanimous decision at North Paris Arena, taking each round of the three-round quarterfinal in the 66-kilogram (145-pound) division. Because Olympic boxing does not have a bronze medal bout, she is now assured a medal in the 2024 Games, no matter what happens in her semifinal.

For all the controversy surrounding the day, the fight went by without incident.

The real scene was afterward. After having her hand raised following the decision, Khelif pointed around the arena, dropped to a knee and slammed the mat with one hand. She embraced the coaches in her corner, then made her way to a pack of supporters in the front row, burying her head in hugs. Khelif emerged sobbing, covering her face in a towel, trying to maneuver her way off a hectic arena floor.

That’s where a media frenzy awaited. Well more than a hundred reporters packed a hallway, squeezing into what would normally be an untroubled interview area. As Khelif and Hamori made their way through, though, the space turned to total disorder. Khelif answered only a few questions.

“I am proud of this win, especially for my country Algeria here in Paris,” she told beIN Sports. “I have been preparing eight years for this Olympics. Thank God I was up to it today and won the game. Insha’Allah (God willing) the next fixture and the crowning as well. I would like to thank the whole world.”

Khelif, with the Algerian flag draped over her shoulders, was then rushed out, stopping only to offer a tear-filled comment in a mix of French and Arabic to an Algerian reporter.

Hamori told reporters: “I think it was a good fight. I am so proud of myself.” She wished good luck to all her opponents.

Balázs Fürjes, a Hungarian International Olympic Committee member since 2023, addressed reporters, saying, “We believe in fair competition and there was no way we weren’t going to fight,” but went no further and took no questions.

Subject to intense and intrusive criticism online in recent days, Khelif found comfort in North Paris Arena. She was first shown on arena video monitors before she walked toward the ring. She drew a soaring cheer from large sections of Algerian fans. As the 25-year-old was introduced, she shadowboxed out of the tunnel as the Algerians cheered, waving red, white and green flags. The rest of the sold-out 6,000-seat arena applauded her entrance.

Khelif’s next fight — a women’s 66kg semifinal — is scheduled for Tuesday night.

Saturday’s fight was the 48th of Khelif’s boxing career. Since her debut in 2018, her record is 39-9, including one professional bout.

Khelif previously competed at the Tokyo Games and in multiple national and international championships.

Two days ago, however, following a swift victory over Italy’s Angela Carini, she became the latest athlete to be the center of international debate about participation in women’s sports.

Against Carini, Khelif landed punches that unfastened the Italian’s chinstrap and drew blood that appeared on her shorts. Carini quit the bout after 46 seconds, declined to shake Khelif’s hand afterward and told reporters that she’d “never been hit so hard.” She later said she felt sorry for the controversy surrounding Khelif.

On Saturday, Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, also stood by the inclusion of Khelif and and of Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, who fights in a quarterfinal in the 57-kilogram (126-pound) women’s division on Sunday.

Both Khelif and Lin have always competed in women’s divisions, and national and international officials have said their passports and birth certificates have always identified them as female.

Following a Thursday win to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinal, Hamori said she knew Khelif from other competitions, but the two never previously fought. She dismissed the furor surrounding Khelif as “fuss,” though online she played into disparaging descriptions of her opponent.

“I don’t care about the comments, the stories,” said Hamori, 23. “I just want to stay focused on myself.”

Asked if she believed it to be dangerous to fight Khelif, she replied: “I am not scared. If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win. So let’s do it.”

Hamori and Khelif touched gloves before the fight and after each round. Following the fight, they briefly embraced.

Fürjes, the Hungarian IOC member, said afterward: “We are not afraid of difficult circ*mstances and are ready to fight even among difficult circ*mstances. We are proud founding members of the international Olympic family. We are 100 percent convinced that the International Olympic Committee will make the right decisions.”

That comment came after the Associated Press reported Friday that the Hungarian Boxing Association planned to send “letters of protest” about the matchup to the IOC and Hungary’s own Olympic committee. The Algerian Olympic committee said it had objected to disparaging Instagram posts shared by Hamori.

Omar Khelif, in an interview with Sky News, defended his daughter.

“My child is a girl. She was raised as a girl. She’s a strong girl. I raised her to be hardworking and brave. She has a strong will to work and to train,” he said. “The Italian opponent she faced was unable to defeat my daughter because my daughter was stronger and she was softer.”

Ahmed Walid contributed reporting.

Required reading

• How Olympic boxer Imane Khelif’s performance embroiled arguments about gender in sport
• IOC’s Bach dismisses boxing controversy as ‘culture war,’ but a correction highlights complexities of issue

(Photo: Richard Pelham / Getty Images)

Brendan Quinn is a senior enterprise writer for The Athletic. He came to The Athletic in 2017 from MLive Media Group, where he covered Michigan and Michigan State basketball. Prior to that, he covered Tennessee basketball for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Follow Brendan on Twitter @BFQuinn