Boxer Imane Khelif of on Tuesday night advanced to the gold-medal bout in the women’s welterweight division at the Paris Olympics, moving one win away from what she calls the best response to the worldwide scrutiny she has faced over misconceptions about her gender.
With one more victory, Khelif would win Algeria’s second boxing gold medal and its first in women’s boxing.
Khelif defeated Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand 5:0 in the semi-finals at Roland Garros, where the crowd roared for her and chanted her name repeatedly during her three-round fight. Khelif has won three consecutive bouts in Paris, and she will win either a gold or a silver medal on Friday when she completes the tournament against Yang Liu of China.
Photo: Reuters
Khelif has thrived inside the ring in Paris amid criticism and stigmatization outside of it. The trouble has stemmed from the Olympic-banished International Boxing Association’s decision to disqualify her and fellow Paris medalist Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan from the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships last year for allegedly failing an eligibility test.
“I don’t care about that,” Khelif said through an interpreter. “I wish to be ready and show a good standard, show my talent, because I want to entertain everyone.”
Khelif had already clinched Algeria’s first medal in women’s boxing before she stepped into the ring to rousing roars at Court Philippe Chatrier. She then controlled her bout with Suwannapheng, who took a standing eight-count late in the third after absorbing a series of punches.
“I had heard about the news regarding her, but I wasn’t following it closely,” Suwannapheng said. “She is a woman, but she is very strong.”
Khelif has won every round on every judge’s card in her two fights that have gone the distance in Paris. She has made the most important tournament run of her international career while under the most pressure she has ever faced.
“I am very happy,” Khelif said. “I’ve worked eight years for these Olympics, and I’m very proud of this moment. I would like to thank the support from people back home.”
Khelif also said she felt the “best response” to the uproar around her would be to win a gold medal — and now she’s one win away.
After sharing a hug with Suwannapheng and holding open the ropes for her opponent in a traditional boxing gesture of sportsmanship, Khelif celebrated by running furiously in place while pumping her fists as the crowd roared for her again.
The celebration was more joyous than her cathartic finish to her quarter-final victory over Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori, when she slammed her palm on the canvas as she teared up.
Khelif received her post-fight medical check and was headed out of the Roland Garros arena when she was mobbed by fans near the exit. They hugged Khelif, demanded selfies and waved Algerian flags while she made her way backstage.
Khelif received cheers that echoed through the famed tennis arena from the moment she entered to face Suwannapheng. Roland Garros welcomed a prominent turnout from Algerian fans voicing their national pride in a boxer whose negative spotlight has been taken quite personally in her country.
Both fighters came out aggressively, and were trading punches from a distance. Khelif was more accurate, while winning the first round on all five cards, and she repeated the performance in the second.
The fight got more physical in the third, with Suwannapheng pushing forward to make a comeback. The bout was stopped for a standing eight-count late in the third when Suwannapheng absorbed a few head punches in succession, although Suwannapheng appeared to shrug as if it was not necessary — as is often the case in Olympic boxing, where referees can stop a bout for relatively minor reasons.
“I tried to use my speed, but my opponent was just too strong,” Suwannapheng said.
The 25-year-old Khelif is on the best run of her amateur career at the Olympics. She has performed solidly at the international level and even won some regional tournaments, but she has never been a dominant fighter on the world stage until her two strong performances — and 46 seconds of easy work against a third — to reach the final in Paris.
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