Young Imane Khelif photos emerge as Olympics gender controversy festers

New details and photos from Algerian women’s boxer Imane Khelif’s past have emerged after her 46-second win over Italy’s Angela Carini on Thursday in the 2024 Olympics sparked international fervor.

Khelif is at the center of a debate regarding gender eligibility after being disqualified from the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships for elevated testosterone levels.

The 25-year-old was designated a female at birth and is labeled as such on her passport, which is why the International Olympic Committee has OK’d her boxing in the women’s division.

The photos that have come to light show Khelif, who grew up in Tiaret, a rural village in western Algeria, as reported in a profile by Unicef , alongside her presumed loved ones.

As a youngster, her path to the Olympics almost did not get off the ground as her father did not approve of boxing and she had found success as a soccer player.

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However, the boys in her village “felt threatened” by her, and that helped lead her into boxing, per Unicef.

A teacher also reportedly helped push her toward boxing, according to The Sun , which cited an interview with Canal Algerie, an Algerian channel.

“I come from a conservative region and family,” Khelif said in the interview, per The Sun. “Boxing was a sport dedicated only to men.”

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Not only did she have to work through her father’s disapproval, the boxing commitment came with a 10-kilometer (or 6.2 miles) trek each way.

Khelif could not ask her father for bus money, so she sold scrap metal and her mother sold couscous to produce the required amount of the weekly training sessions, she told Unicef.

The Sun’s report added that Khelif also sold bread.

“I started with nothing and now I have everything,” Khelif told Unicef. “Both my parents come to support me. They are my biggest fans.”

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Of her greatest achievements, Khelif added: “It’s being able to overcome the obstacles in my life.”

Khelif made her tournament debut in 2018 at the AIBA World Championships and lost in the first round. She lost five of her first six “elite-level” bouts, according to the Associated Press .

She competed for Algeria at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago in the women’s lightweight division (57-60 kilograms), winning her first fight before falling to eventual champion Kellie Anne Harrington of Ireland.

This year, Khelif is competing at 66kg and won her first fight against Carini and now has a quarterfinal bout set for Saturday against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori .

“My message to young people is to follow your dreams. Don’t let obstacles come in your way, resist any obstacles and overcome them,” Khelif said of representing Unicef.

“My dream is to win a gold medal. If I win, mothers and fathers can see how far their children can go. I particularly want to inspire girls and children who are disadvantaged in Algeria.”

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