Olympic boxing champ Imane Khelif has been flaunting her fresh new look while holding her Paris 2024 gold medal.
The Algerian pugilist clinched the top spot in the women's welterweight category in France, amidst a swirl of controversy and backlash due to her previous disqualification from the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for failing a gender eligibility test.
Khelif, along with Lin Yu-ting from Chinese Taipei, faced scrutiny over their participation in Paris after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave them the green light, applying more relaxed regulations than those of the IBA.
The 25-year-old triumphed over China's Yang Liu in the final bout last week to secure the gold.
If you can't see the image below, just click here
Celebrating her Olympic victory, Khelif treated herself to a makeover, looking strikingly different from her usual ring attire. An Instagram video captures Khelif throwing punches at the camera in her boxing gloves before cutting to her dressed in a floral pink ensemble complete with matching hoop earrings, pink eyeliner, and lip gloss, all while beaming and showing off her medal.
Despite facing criticism from fans and high-profile figures including X, Tesla boss Elon Musk, and Harry Potter creator JK Rowling, Khelif stood strong. Even former US president Donald Trump weighed in, misgendering the athlete as a "man".
"Who wants men to participate in women's sports? I would like to congratulate the young woman who has evolved from a man to a woman. He... She won gold," Trump remarked.
Amidst the chaos of public indignation, the Algerian athlete had to stay focused on her Olympic aspirations. After securing her triumph, she robustly responded to her detractors by asserting her right to compete.
"I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I am a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman. I have lived as a woman. I competed as a woman - there is no doubt about that," Khelif stated.
Khelif, with the assistance of her lawyer Nabin Boudi, has lodged a formal complaint with French authorities against both Musk and Trump, as she counters the backlash she faced during the Games. "Immediately after there was a lot of noise from politicians, athletes, stars, artists - Elon Musk and Donald Trump and that hurt me a lot, I cannot describe how scared I was," she expressed.
"This affected me. I'm not lying to you, it affected me a lot. It hurt a lot. I can't describe the fear I had but thank God I was able to overcome it. Thank god, all the people of Algeria and the Arab world knew Imane Khelif with her femininity, her courage, her will."
"Honestly, I don't like to get into politics in sports, but they got into politics in sports. Sports and politics are two separate things. These politicians who are oppressing me, they don't have the right to say that I'm a transgender."
For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here .
Most Popular
Comments / 0