Imane Khelif took to Instagram to celebrate her victory over Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori on Saturday that has put her on the brink of an Olympic medal – amid outcry over her participation in boxing.
Khelif went into the Paris Games with questions over her participation after it emerged she had been disqualified from competing with women at an event last year before being cleared by the IOC to enter the 66-kilogram competition in France.
And the scrutiny was inflamed when Angela Carini of Italy terafuly quit her fight with Khelif after just 46 seconds, saying she had never been hit so hard before. Carini has since said she would like to apologize to Khelif.
The impact of being subject to extreme attention was clear for all to see when Khelif wept after beating Hamori on Saturday. Afterwards, she told reporters in a media scrum: ‘I want to tell the entire world that I am a female, and I will remain a female.’
But judging by her Instagram post on Saturday, Khelif doesn’t exactly feel like it’s the whole world that’s against her as she shared a graphic thanking her fellow Algerians for their support.
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She shared a cartoon graphic of men and women mobbing her in celebration waving Algeria flags, with the caption: ‘Thank God’.
Against Hamori on Saturday, Khelif fought aggressively from the opening bell, snapping a crisp left jab while the fighters circled.
Her fans chanted her first name repeatedly midway through the opening round, and she won on all five judges’ cards.
The referee deducted a point from Khelif midway through the third round when both fighters fell to the canvas from a clinch with Khelif on top.
Hamori then received a warning for punches to the back of the head, and she fell again from a clinch 10 seconds before the bell.
Khelif, who failed to medal at the Tokyo Games three years ago, will face Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand in the 66-kg semifinals Tuesday at Roland Garros.
A silver medalist at last year’s world championships, Suwannapheng upset defending Olympic champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey a few minutes before Khelif’s victory.
