PARIS (AP) — Imane Khelif goes for the gold medal on Friday night at the Paris Olympics. The Algerian boxer has been in the spotlight because of misconceptions about her sex.
The 25-year-old Khelif fights Yang Liu of China in the final of the women’s welterweight division at Roland Garros. Khelif has yet to lose one round on a judge’s scorecard in her first three fights in Paris.
The controversy stems from Khelif and Li Yu-ting of Taiwan getting disqualified from last year’s world championships by the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, which claims both fighters failed a murky eligibility test for women’s competition.
Khelif’s dad: ‘We’re on edge’
Khelif’s dad is nervous back in Algeria ahead of the big fight.
“We’re on edge,” Omar Khelif told The Associated Press. “I spoke to Imane this morning and she’s focused on optimistic. She’s a fighter.”
In her hometown Ain Mesbah, her family is preparing for a large public screening.
Khelif’s former coach: ‘Slander has given her a boost’
One of Khelif’s early coaches told The Associated Press that her success has been the result of years of hard work in difficult circumstances.
Mustapha Bensaou of the gym where Khelif learned to box said Friday’s match would go down in history in Tiaret, where men were painting a mural of Khelif in 45 degree Celcius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) weather.
“Imane has managed to turn the criticism and attacks on her femininity into fuel,” Bensaou said. “The slander has given her a boost…It’s a bit of a blessing in disguise.”
The coach said he was optimistic about Khelif’s chances and compared her to other Algerian women who’ve taken home the gold, including Hassiba Boulmerka, the track star who won the 1,500 meters in 1992 amid scrutiny and death threats from Islamists in the early days of the Algerian Civil War.
“She will be the first woman to offer Algeria a gold medal in boxing, god willing,” he said.
Women rallying around Khelif at Roland Garros
Several hours before the start of Khelif’s gold-medal bout, women arrived at Roland Garros wrapped in Algerian flags, many with no interest in boxing, but with the sole aim at supporting their compatriot.
Sarah Dayan didn’t know who Khelif was before the Olympics but saw the controversy online and said she wanted to show up for her.
“I’m super happy that she got here, and I’m here to support her because she needs it, and she needs women to support her,” Dayan said.
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