Algeria’s Olympic boxing champion, Imane Khelif, sent her country into wild celebrations with her historic win.
But she hasn’t finished fighting yet, launching a legal battle against those who ‘harassed’ her over false claims she was a man.
Khelif defeated China’s Yang Liu to lift the women’s 66kg crown, after suffering days of online hate. It followed her victory in her first fight against an Italian opponent who quit within seconds, claiming she’d never been punched so hard.
Media then focussed Khelif’s disqualification from last year’s world championships after failing unspecified ‘gender tests’.
However, Olympic chiefs cleared Imane to fight in Paris, claiming she’s always been a woman. Sadly, that didn’t stop prominent figures like Donald Trump, Elon Musk and author JK Rowling also casting doubt on her gender.
Imane’s lawyers are now taking action over ‘aggravated cyber-harassment’ and have filed a complaint with a special unit at the Paris prosecutor’s office. It will decide whether to open an investigation.
After winning gold on Friday, Imane said it had been her dream for eight years, adding her success gave her a ‘special taste because of those attacks.’
It also sparked special celebrations in Algeria, which has a new sporting hero. Just have a look at these pictures!