Boxer Imane Khelif has garnered praise online after a recent viral video showcased her glamorous appearance outside the ring.
The 25-year-old athlete’s journey at the 2024 Paris Olympics was marked by controversy following her victory over Italy’s Angela Carini on August 1.
Carini withdrew from the fight after just 46 seconds, collapsing to her knees in tears. She reportedly exclaimed, “It’s not fair,” and declined to shake Khelif’s hand after it was announced that she would not be advancing to the next round.
The match sparked uproar on social media, with many people – including high-profile figures like Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and J.K Rowling – speculating about Khelif’s eligibility to compete in women’s boxing.
Khelif was at the center of a gender controversy during her run at the 2024 Olympics. Credit: Richard Pelham / Getty
Khelif is officially recognized as female on her passport and has competed in women’s boxing since the beginning of her career.
Concerns were raised about possible testosterone advantages after both Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting were banned from last year’s world championships by the IBA for not meeting gender eligibility criteria.
However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) criticized those tests as deeply flawed and has since suspended the IBA due to concerns over governance, alleged corruption, and ties to Russia.
Imane Khelif celebrates winning the gold medal after beating Liu Yang: Andy Cheung / Getty
Nevertheless, the public scrutiny and widespread misinformation only pushed Khelif harder as she advanced to the women’s welterweight (66kg) final on Friday (August 10) and defeated China’s Yang Liu.
After becoming the first Algerian woman to claim the boxing gold, Khelif shared a defiant message to her critics, saying: “Whether I qualify or not, or whether I’m a woman or not, I have made many statements in the media,” per News.com.au.
“I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I am a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman, I lived a woman, I competed as a woman,” she continued. “There’s no doubt about that. There are enemies of success – this is what I call them. That also gives my success a special test because of these attacks.”
The Olympian gold medalist believes her “honor is intact now,” and remarked that social media vitriol is now “meaningless”.
“They impact the dignity of people and I think now people’s thinking has changed. As for the IBA, since 2018 I’ve been boxing under the umbrella of the IBA. They know me very well, they know what I am capable and they know how I have developed over the years,” she concluded.
Khelif with silver medalist Yang Liu, and bronze medalists Janjaem Suwannapheng and Chen Nien Chin. Credit: China News Service / Getty
The young athlete underwent a stunning makeover after her tremendous victory, and it has left many fans speechless.
In a video shared on Beauty Code’s Instagram page, Khelif is seen sporting a black shirt with her hair tied back while punching toward the camera before the clip transitions to her wearing a floral top and matching earrings with her hair curled and vibrant pink makeup.
Watch the video below:
Many supporters rushed to the comment section to compliment her looks, with one person writing: “The gorgeous queen,” and another chimed in: “She’s sooo prettyyyy bro y’all just some haters.”
“Her beauty is unique, I love that pretty smile without any trace of make-up, it radiates all the sun. She’s what actually I consider a beautiful woman,” a third sweetly added.
A fourth shared: “We all saw your true beauty that your soul reflects during the Olympic games. You look just stunning! Enjoy your victory. Enjoy your beauty.”
Khelif has named Musk and Rowling in her lawsuit. Credit: Andy Cheung / Getty
Since facing vitriol online, Khelif has filed a criminal complaint in France over online harassment, naming both Elon Musk and JK Rowling.
Speaking to Variety, Nabil Boudi, a Paris-based attorney who is part of the National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred prosecutor’s office confirmed it received the complaint filed by the athlete against the platform X about what she had experienced during her time at the Olympics.
“On Aug. 13, (The National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred) contacted the OCLCH (Central Office for the Fight Against Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes) to conduct an investigation into the counts of cyber harassment due to gender, public insult because of gender, public incitement to discrimination and public insult because of origin,” the statement read, as per the outlet.
Trump would be part of the investigation too, with the attorney explaining: “Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”
We wish Khelif the best.