Algerian female boxer Imane Khelif, 25, who was at the center of a gender controversy after her Italian rival backed out of a fight at the 2024 Paris Olympics 46 seconds in, has resurfaced to show off a soft, effeminate version of herself.
Khelif previously faced backlash and even disqualification from the World Championships in 2023, following an International Boxing Association (IBA) test that allegedly found she had the XY chromosome combination (typically found in men), rather than the female XX.
Highlights
- Khelif, 25, won Olympic gold in Paris 2024 but faced backlash over gender eligibility.
- A year later, she posted a more feminine look while admitting to personal struggles.
- Despite lawsuits and criticism, Khelif insists she will return stronger to the ring.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended her after accusing the IBA of double standards. But the thrashing that reduced 26-year-old Angela Carini to tears in 2024, and her claims that she feared for her life, did little for the public’s view of the organization or Khelif.
It’s a year after the controversy, and the boxer says she is going through a difficult phase of her life.
A year after the Olympic controversy, Imane Khelif appeared to have put effort into looking more effeminate
Image credits: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Tellingly, a 2024 post by podcaster Djaffar Bey depicted herself and the pugilist just days after she won gold at the Paris Olympics.
In the caption, Bey observed: “To achieve her medal, she didn’t have time to waste in beauty salons or shopping. She never felt the need to conform to those standards to prove her existence.”
Image credits: imane_khelif_10
A year later, in the context of accusations that (Khelif) was not quite a woman, the same podcaster shared a photo of herself sporting the new glow-up with sleek hair, makeup, manicured eyebrows, and a broad smile.
The Algerian boxer made vague claims about the “challenges” she faces
Without explaining the reason behind her decision to dress up, Khelif offered a long but vague account of her life on the one-year anniversary of the win.
Image credits: imane_khelif_10
“On this day… I was crowned with the Olympic gold medal in Paris 2024,” she reminisced.
She described the elation and pride she felt for being able to represent her country at such a public event, claiming that it took the heart of a human and the strength of a boxer.
But the win, she suggested, was bittersweet.
Image credits: imane_khelif_10
“I’m going through a difficult phase filled with challenges, silence, and waiting…”
The update comes in the wake of a lawsuit against a journalist and critics like Elon Musk, Donald Trump and JK Rowling
Said challenges in their early phases became a legal complaint in which a slew of detractors were named–Elon Musk, Donald Trump and JK Rowling included–who directly or indirectly accused Khelif of being a man, Bored Panda reported in 2024.
Image credits: beauty.code.officiel
Media outlets also rallied behind the salacious claims with Frances Le Correspondant, doubling down on the IBA’s assertions and reporting that the boxer had undergone hormone therapy before the Olympics.
All of this hawkishness transpired despite the debacle’s catalyst, Angela Carini, apologizing for the way she exited the fight.
The controversy continued, despite an apology from Angela Carini
Reports described how Carini took a pounding from the first blow, which dislodged her chin strap, then drew blood and ultimately drove her to the mat in tears.
Then Khelif, who was the winner, tried to shake her hand she refused. Carini later told the press that the blows from her Algerian opponent were the most painful she had ever experienced and that she bowed out to “preserve her life.”
Image credits: imane_khelif_10
A tide of hatred for Khelif metastasized on the internet to the point that her coach asked her to stay off social media so that she would not become distracted by the controversy.
Khelif would later retaliate and defend herself.
Khelif’s coach asked her to stay off social media so that she would not be distracted by the circling hate
Image credits: dr.pedrodiaz
Following her Olympic victory, Khelif spoke her mind. “I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I am a woman like any other woman,” BBC Sport reported her as saying.
“I was born a woman. I have lived as a woman. I competed as a woman - there is no doubt about that.”
The IOC also weighed in, saying:
Image credits: Eurosport
“All the athletes who participated in the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 complied with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, together with all the applicable medical regulations.”
A year after her last fight, Khelif hinted that she was set to return to the ring
Despite the embattled tone in Khelif’s recent post, she assured her fans that she was no less a fighter.
Image credits: Martin Rulsch/Wikimedia
“I am Imane Khelif, a champion yesterday, resilient today, and determined to return tomorrow.
“Thank you to everyone who still believes in me…And to myself, thank you for never giving up.”
