Donald Trump has taunted Olympic boxer Imane Khelif after the controversial Algerian boxer won gold in Paris on Friday after being scrutinzed throughout the Games over her gender.
Khelif beat Yang Liu of China in the final of the women’s welterweight division, wrapping up the best series of fights of her boxing career with a victory at Roland Garros.
But hours later, in Montana, Khelif was the target of some verbal sparring from Trump as he addressed a crowd at a rally in Bozeman.
‘Who wants men to participate in women’s sports? I would like to congratulate the young woman who has evolved from a man to a woman. He… She won gold,’ Trump said.
His comments were incorrect – Khelif is not transgender and was born female but it has been claimed she has male XY chromosomes after taking a test last year under the IBA, who have since largely refused to answer questions about how the process works.
Trump: And I’d like to congratulate the young woman who transitioned from a man into a boxer. You saw he won. She won the gold medal. pic.twitter.com/PXY01K7i4B
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 10, 2024
Trump continued: ‘What about the woman, the beautiful woman, from Italy? She went in there and had no idea what was going on. She’s a very good boxer – but only against other women.’
He was referring to Angela Carini, who quit 46 seconds into her fight with Khelif last week after being struck on the nose. She was in tears and said she had never been hit so hard before.
Trump acted out the punch and then said: ‘He did this. She immediately, wow, nobody has ever hit me that hard.
‘Then he does it again and she immediately gives up.’
Speaking at a press conference after winning gold on Friday – and before Trump’s comments – Khelif said: ‘For eight years, this has been my dream, and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medalist.
‘That also gives my success a special taste because of those attacks. We are in the Olympics to perform as athletes, and I hope that we will not see any similar attacks in future Olympics.
‘I’m fully qualified to take part in this competition. I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born as a woman, I live as a woman, and I am qualified.’
Khelif noted that she has boxed in IBA competitions since 2018 but now “they hate me, and I don´t know why.”
‘I sent them a single message with this gold medal, and that is that my dignity and honor are above all else,’ she said.
