Algerian fighter Imane Khelif has won Olympic gold following a comfortable points victory over Yang Liu of China in the Women’s 66kg gold medal match at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Khelif has been at the centre of a gender row throughout the Games but put that in a corner to produce a dominant performance and claim the win over her Chinese adversary at Roland Garros.
The Algerian used her range to keep Yang quiet in the opening exchanges. Yang found gaps to land a few scoring punches, showing no sign of being overawed by the occasion, with Khelif biding her time behind her jab.
Soon enough, Khelif landed a powerful right-hand punch that rocked Yang in the final minute of the first round, prompting loud cheers from fans at ringside and in the stands as she took the lead at the end of the round.
The second round was much closer, with both fighters landing plenty of shots. Khelif came flying out of her corner in the second round, landing another right-hand punch before Yang hit back with a well-timed punch.
Yang maintained a spirited fight and kept going at Khelif to swing the count back in her favour. But Khelif won the round again on the scorecards to pull even further ahead. Khelif held firm to complete a clean sweep and claim the gold medal.
Khelif’s participation at the Olympics has sparked great controversy, given that she failed a gender test carried out by the International Boxing Association (IBA) back in 2023.
However, the Algerian boxer was allowed to participate in the 2024 Olympics as the IBA is no longer recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).