Mashable: Imane Khelif defeated world champion Yang Liu of China to secure her gold medal.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif became an Olympic gold medallist amidst a heated gender-row controversy. She defeated the world champion Yang Liu of China in the women’s 66 kg bout by unanimous decision at the Paris Olympics 2024. After sealing her victory at Roland Garros, Khelif addressed the challenges she braved including defending her identity as a woman in the middle of massive online scrutiny.

Khelif, along with Lin Yu-Ting who fought in the featherweight division (57 kg) and won gold, were the two boxers subjected to a gender eligibility controversy. They were banned from competing in the 2023 World Championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test conducted by the International Boxing Association (IBA). It is important to note the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expelled IBA from its participation in the Paris Olympics 2024 over issues of corruption, transparency, and governance.

The Algerian boxer, 25, after securing her gold medal told the media, “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 considers her Olympic victory a big step in restoring her honour noting the attacks aimed at her were “extremely bad” and impacted her dignity. As a response to the online hate, the gold medallist has now filed a complaint with the Paris public prosecutor’s office over “acts of aggravated cyber harassment" committed against her.

Nabil Boudi, the attorney representing Khelif confirmed the development on X. “The criminal investigation will determine who initiated this misogynistic, racist, and sexist campaign but will also have to focus on those who fueled this digital lynching. The unfair harassment suffered by the boxing champion will remain the biggest stain of these Olympic Games,” read the statement shared by the lawyer.

In taking gold, Imane Khelif has now become Alegria’s first Olympic gold medallist in women’s boxing and the first boxer overall to win gold since 1996.