EMOTIONAL WIN FOR IMANI KHELIF

Khelif (right) won her opening bout at the Paris Games when opponent Angela Carini of Italy tearfully abandoned the fight after just 46 seconds.

You might know Khelif from her 46 second bout with Italian boxer, Angela Carini. This was an emotional fight for Khelif as it stirred up quite a commotion followed by days of sharp scrutiny and online abuse as misconceptions about her gender exploded into a larger clash about identity in sports.

Despite, this controversy, Khelif still managed to clinch  a medal for Algeria. She  defeated Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary 5:0 in the quarterfinals of the women’s 66-kilogram division. Khelif will win at least a bronze medal after she comfortably earned the second victory of her tumultuous second trip to the Olympics.

Algeria’s Imane Khelif, right, fights Hungary’s Anna Hamori in their women’s 66kg quarterfinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Khelif’s second win in Paris appeared to be an emotional catharsis for the 25-year-old boxer from a village in northwest Algeria. After her hand was raised in victory, Khelif went to the center of the ring, waved to her fans, knelt and then slammed her palm on the canvas, her smile turning to tears.

Algeria’s Imane Khelif celebrates after defeating Hungary’s Anna Hamori in their women’s 66kg quarterfinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

She left the ring to hug her coaches while her fans roared, weeping during their embrace and as she walked out. Back home in Algeria, her family and fans watched with pride as she won her second bout.

“I am happy for my daughter. She is courageous despite racist and sexist attacks to break her,” her mother, Irene, said on Algerian television.

Source: APNews