How did controversial boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting perform at the Paris Olympics? All about their performances despite facing backlash

By Janhavi Shinde

Modified Aug 11, 2024 09:06 GMT

Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting clinched gold medals in the women's 66kg and 57kg boxing categories, respectively, at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Their victories came amid a storm of controversy surrounding eligibility disputes.

Khelif earned the gold medal in the 66kg boxing category with a unanimous victory at the Stade Roland-Garros against China's Liu Yang. The Algerian boxer displayed an incredible winning streak despite receiving backlash. In the semifinal round, Khelif defeated Janjaem Suwannaphennng of Thailand with a unanimous win too. She had dominated Hungarian pugilist Anna Luca Hamori in the quarterfinal round to secure a decisive 5-0 victory again.

In the round of 16, she locked horns with Italian boxer Angela Carini, who withdrew from the bout after less than a minute of in-ring action. It was following this bout that Khelif's and Lin Yu-Ting's allegedly failed gender tests, conducted during the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi, India, started gaining traction on social media.

Lin, meanwhile, cleared the Round of 16 and the quarterfinal round with unanimous victories over Uzbekistan's Turdibekova Sitora and Bulgaria's Svetlana Staneva, respectively. She defeated Turkish boxer Esra Kahraman in the semifinal round with a comprehensive 5-0 score from the judges. Following this bout, Kahraman displayed an "X" gesture with her two fingers, understood by many to be signaling XX chromosomes.

She went head-to-head with Julia Szeremeta in the gold medal bout. Lin beat the Polish boxer 5-0, retaining her unanimous win streak.

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"I was born as a woman, I live as a woman" - Imane Khelif states after clinching a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Imane Khelif speaks to the media following the Boxing Women's 66kg medal ceremony at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris, France (Photo Getty Images)

Amid the eligibility backlash at the Paris 2024 Games, Imane Khelif opted to stay silent and refrained from commenting until she clinched the gold medal. She previously fell short of achieving victory, at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Although the IBA disqualified the Algerian boxer in 2023, the IOC refused to accept the tests, allowing her to compete in the Games. In an interview with the Associated Press following her triumph, Khelif asserted her identity as a woman:

“I'm fully qualified to participate in this competition,” Khelif said. “I'm a woman like any other woman. I was born as a woman, I live as a woman, and I am qualified."

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Khelif became the first female boxer to represent Algeria at the Olympic Games.