PARIS (AP) — Imane Khelif goes for the gold medal on Friday night at the Paris Olympics. The Algerian boxer has been in the spotlight because of misconceptions about her sex.
The 25-year-old Khelif fights Yang Liu of China in the final of the women’s welterweight division at Roland Garros. Khelif has yet to lose one round on a judge’s scorecard in her first three fights in Paris.
The controversy stems from Khelif and Li Yu-ting of Taiwan getting disqualified from last year’s world championships by the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, which claims both fighters failed a murky eligibility test for women’s competition.
Women rallying around Khelif at Roland Garros
Several hours before the start of Khelif’s gold-medal bout, women arrived at Roland Garros wrapped in Algerian flags, many with no interest in boxing, but with the sole aim at supporting their compatriot.
Sarah Dayan didn’t know who Khelif was before the Olympics but saw the controversy online and said she wanted to show up for her.
“I’m super happy that she got here, and I’m here to support her because she needs it, and she needs women to support her,” Dayan said.
