Imane Khelif weighed in — briefly — over the controversy surrounding her inclusion in the Olympic Games.
“I am a woman,” Khelif told reporters in Paris, in her only comments after defeating Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in three rounds to move to the semifinals of the women’s welterweight competition, clinching a medal in doing so.
Since boxing does not have a third-place match, the Algerian is guaranteed at least bronze.
The 25-year-old Khelif became a lightning rod of controversy, as she was allowed to compete in Paris by the IOC after failing gender eligibility tests from the International Boxing Association last year.
Khelif has identified as female since birth, has always competed in the women’s boxing division and is listed as a woman on her passport.
The IBA, which has a history of being dominated by Russia, was banned from the Olympics last year and hasn’t run Olympic boxing since 2016.
Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting — who also failed an IBA gender eligibility test — both failed to medal in Tokyo three years ago.
Khelif burst into tears after beating Hamori on Saturday after the 48 hours prior were marked with public outcry over her inclusion.
“All this controversy makes me sad,” Angela Carini, who kicked off the shouting over Khelif by refusing to shake her hand and stopping their fight after 46 seconds, told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”
Khelif is scheduled to fight Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand in the semifinal on Tuesday afternoon.
