Olympic champion Imane Khelif has debuted a new makeover to show off her hard-earned gold medal in Paris.
Khelif’s participation in the women’s Olympic boxing event was a source of discussion throughout the Games, particularly after Italian fighter Angela Carini forfeited their bout after just 46 seconds.
Khelif – along with fellow fighter Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan – had been disqualified from the 2023 World Championship by the IBA after reportedly failing a gender eligibility test.
Yet the Algerian boxer shut out the noise to win gold for her country in Paris, and showed off her new precious metal after a stunning makeover.
In a video posted on Instagram Khelif can be seen punching towards the camera, before the screen cuts to a shot of her in a seasonal pink, floral outfit with matching hoop earrings and pink eyeliner and lip gloss.
Imane Khelif poses for the cameras showing off her gold medal from the Paris Olympics
The clip, uploaded to social media, begins with the fighter punching towards the camera and smiling
Khelif won gold for Algeria in the women’s 66kg boxing competition at the Paris Olympics
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She also proudly shows off her medal and flashes a smile for the camera in the short clip uploaded on social media.
While her participation in the competition – defended strongly by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) – was debated throughout the Games, it came after she had been disqualified from a previous competition, which sparked controversy.
Yet while the IBA ruled her and Lin out of the World Championship, the IOC took a differing opinion on the matter.
‘This is a question of justice: women must be allowed to take part in women’s competitions. And the two are women,’ president Thomas Bach stated.
Khelif even defended her own participation, saying: ‘I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I am a woman like any other woman.
‘I was born a woman. I have lived as a woman. I competed as a woman – there is no doubt about that.’
However, she still came in for criticism from a number of figures, including X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who have both been named by the 25-year-old in a lawsuit.
The fighter was also referred to as a ‘man’ by former US president Donald Trump, and Khelif admitted that she had been ‘affected’ by the ‘noise’.
Donald Trump referred to Khelif as a man while on stage not long after the Algerian’s victory
However the 25-year-old then told Donald Trump to stay out of sports after calling her a man
Khelif beat Yang Liu of China in the final of the women’s welterweight division for Olympic gold
Khelif was paraded around the ring on the shoulders of her coach in front of hundreds of fans
‘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.
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.
‘Immediately after there was a lot of noise from politicians, athletes, stars, artists — Elon Musk and Donald Trump and that hurt me a lot, I cannot describe how scared I was,’ the 25-year-old Khelif said.
‘This affected me. I’m not lying to you, it affected me a lot. It hurt a lot. I can’t describe the fear I had but thank God I was able to overcome it. Thank god, all the people of Algeria and the Arab world knew Imane Khelif with her femininity, her courage, her will.’
While debate raged around the two boxers’ eligibility for the Olympics, the IBA conducted a press conference that seemingly fell short of alleviating some of the confusion around their participation.
IBA president Umar Kremlev, who branded Olympics boss Bach ‘a sodomite’, provided few clear answers in a hastily-arranged, farcical two hours.
‘The tests show they were men,’ he said. ‘We don’t verify what they have between their legs. We don’t know if they were born like that, or if some changes were made.’
A briefing document left on a table showed the results revealed that ‘detected XY chromosomes in samples of both athletes’.
The IBA claim both boxers were tested at their event in Istanbul in 2022, where they revealed adverse findings, which were repeated at the 2023 competition in New Delhi.
They also said two other boxers were tested in Turkey and were cleared – but has not specified exactly what tests were carried out.
‘The second tests confirmed the first tests,’ Kremlev said. ‘If people have doubts, refer to them. They can make their own tests.’
Angela Carini (right) forfeited her fight with Khelif after just 46 seconds at Roland Garros
Khelif’s arm was duly raised though Carini refused to shake hands with her victor after the bout
The International Boxing Association (IBA) held a bizarre press conference where they further called into question the eligibility of two female boxers at the Olympics
Khelif (front left) poses with her new gold medal on her return to Algeria with her Olympic team-mates
Ioannis Filippatos, former chairman of the IBA’s medical committee, said ‘abnormalities’ were detected in blood tests in 2022.
‘The medical result, blood result, looks – and the laboratory says – that these boxers are male,’ said Filippatos.
‘The problem is that we have two blood exams with karyotype of male. This is the answer from the laboratory.’
A karyotype is an individual’s complete set of chromosomes, according to the National Human Genome Research.
Chris Roberts, the IBA’s British chief executive, questioned why the IOC had not acted on information they provided with them on the test results last year.
‘They have not done anything with it because they rely on own criteria – which is basically the passport.’
Mail Sport asked Roberts if there had been an independent witness when the tests were taken.
He said that there had not, but that the laboratories that handled the results were independent.
The victory saw the 25-year-old become the first Algerian to win Olympic gold in boxing since Hocine Soltani triumphed in the men’s lightweight class in 1996.
Khelif’s win prompted prompted wild celebrations among her compatriots on social media, with Riyad Mahrez tweeting emojis of the country’s flag and a salute akin to the one she performed after getting her hand raised.
Mahrez had previously voiced his support for Khelif in a video posted during her run to the final in France.
‘Hello, Imane Khelif, I’m Riyad Mahrez and I know you’re a great boxer.
‘Good luck and I hope you’ll be the first Algerian to win the world championship!’
Meanwhile AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer praised Khelif’s mental fortitude throughout the tournament.
Khelif’s win understandably went down well at home, with football stars Riyad Mahrez and Ismael Bennacer rushing to social media to shower her with praise
Khelif — whose involvement in the tournament has been shrouded in controversy — paid tribute to her compatriots after the historic win
Khelif (centre left) became the first Algerian to win an Olympic gold in boxing since lightweight fighter Hocine Soltani in 1996
‘Congratulations to our Olympic champion Imane Khelif.’ He wrote on his X account.
‘Despite the hatred, misinformation and relentlessness, she remained mentally strong to win the gold medal and honour Algeria.’
The IOC had strongly criticised the IBA, the governing body that had previously disqualified both fighters from competing.
Carini, who abandoned her bout with Khelif after just 46 seconds, later apologised for her actions, having refused to shake hands with the Algerian.
