Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is already trying towards new challenges just some months after successful the gold medal within the welterweight division on the Paris Olympic Games.
Khelif was beneath the highlight even earlier than the competitors started, because the Worldwide Boxing Affiliation (IBA) had beforehand deemed her ineligible to compete in final yr’s World Championship after failing the group’s gender eligibility checks.
No particular research was ever offered, and the IOC allowed her to take part. Nonetheless, some nationwide groups conversant in her case expressed disagreement with the choice.
The controversy escalated when Italian boxer Angela Carini walked out of her first-round match in opposition to Khelif after simply 46 seconds. Carini refused to shake fingers with Khelif, claiming it was an unfair competitors attributable to her rival’s alleged bodily benefit.
Whatever the controversy, the 25-year-old secured her nation’s first-ever gold medal in girls’s boxing after a unanimous 5-0 victory in opposition to Yang Liu within the 66 kg class.
The scenario additionally led to a proper grievance by Khelif in opposition to J.Ok. Rowling and Elon Musk for alleged “cyberbullying.” Khelif particularly referred to as out Musk as “one of many first to assault me on this hate marketing campaign,” she shared in an interview.
Khelif Prepares for Transfer to Skilled Boxing
Along with making ready a documentary, Khelif made a serious announcement yesterday throughout a press convention.
“I’ll quickly be getting into the world {of professional} boxing,” Khelif mentioned. “I’ve many provides. In the meanwhile, I have never determined the place I’ll go professional, however I’ll take that step very quickly. We Algerians want to see how we carry out within the skilled enviornment.”
The present prime competitor in her class is American boxer Jessika McCaskill, a outstanding determine in girls’s boxing, who now stands as a possible future rival for Khelif as she embarks on her skilled profession.
