Boxer Imane Khelif Has Secured Her Place in The Olympic Welterweight Finals
She’s going for gold!
Algeria’s Imane Khelif wins her latest fight at the women’s 66kg welterweight semi-finals, securing at least a silver medal, as she moves on to the finals against Team China’s Yang Liu on August 10 2024.
The 25-year-old boxer beat Team Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the women’s 66kg semi-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Her win comes just days after she faced a slew of online bullying and harassing comments regarding speculation surrounding the status of her gender, and whether or not she should be allowed to compete in the women’s division (the International Olympic Committee confirmed time and time again that Imane was born female and, therefore, qualifies to compete in women’s boxing.)
Imane initially brushed off the haters (“I don’t care” was her initial reply when asked about comments and posts calling her a man), calling for “the people of the world” to put a stop to bullying and harassment.
“I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has effects, massive effects,” Imane said in an interview with The Guardian. “It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.”
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Paris 2024 Olympics: 12 Female Athletes From The MENA Region We’ll Be Cheering For
Who is Kaylia Nemour, The Olympic Gymnast Who Won Algeria A Gold Medal? 5 Facts To Know
Who is Nada Hafez, The Olympic Fencer Who Competed 7 Months Pregnant? 5 Facts To Know
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Lead Image Courtesy of Instagram/@elbilad_officiel