On Thursday, Khelif advanced into the women’s 66kg quarter-final after Italy’s Angela Carini abandoned the Round of 16 bout 46 seconds into the fight.
Growing up in a rural village in Tiaret Province, northern Algeria, Imane Khelif sold scrap metal to afford the bus fare needed to train in a nearby village.
Despite her father’s initial disapproval of women participating in boxing, Khelif remained determined and followed her passion, leading to her second Olympics appearance at the 2024 Paris Games.
However, instead of celebrating her inspirational journey, the conversation around the Algerian boxer has been overshadowed by social media abuse, cheating accusations, misinformation and misgendering.
On Thursday, Khelif advanced into the women’s 66kg quarter-final after her Italian opponent in the Round of 16 abandoned the bout 46 seconds into the fight.
ALSO READ: Why Angela Carini abandoned her bout against Imane Khelif in 46 seconds
After Khelif’s hand was raised, a teary-eyed Angela Carini fell to her knees in the ring. She claimed that she had never been punched so hard.
During the bout, Carini was seen lifting her chin, lowering her lead hand, and exposing her body, which allowed Khelif’s reach and long arms to effectively come through.
However, technicalities aside, the visuals of a devastated woman crying in the ring, her Olympic campaign cut short, are undeniably stirring. Especially in an emotionally charged online world.
They are compelling enough for the likes of author JK Rowling, UFC fighter Israel Adesanya, tennis star Andrey Rublev, coach Judy Murray, and YouTubers Jake and Logan Paul to come in support of Carini.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, amplified a tweet from swimmer Riley Gaines stating that “men don’t belong in women’s sports”.
They see this as a case of a man beating a woman in the ring. Except, it is not.
Khelif is neither biologically male nor has identified as a transgender person. In fact, by virtue of being a resident of an Islamic country like Algeria which does not acknowledge LGBTQ+ rights, she cannot transition into a man legally.
She is also not a cheat. Her boxing record establishes that she has lost to several female boxers, including in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics quarter-finals.
