"Never needed it"; "She ate"- Fans in split as Imane Khelif shows off her new makeover after winning the gold medal at Paris Olympics

By Janhavi Shinde

Modified Aug 16, 2024 05:14 GMT

Freshly coming from her glorious victory at the Paris Olympics, Imane Khelif showcased her new dazzling makeover. The transformation left fans divided as some praised her bold new look while others questioned the need for the change.

Khelif was a hot topic on social media after her opponent Angela Carini withdrew from the round of 16 bout within a minute of the face-off. Amidst this uproar, her supposedly failed gender test, performed during the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi, India, started making rounds.

Following the Paris Games, where she was mocked for her bold appearance, Khleif underwent a makeover. She was seen donning a floral shirt, paired with complementary earrings and completed her look with the Olympic gold medal.

The new makeover was embraced by many fans, as one of them wrote:

"She ate wow."

Another fan admired the boxer's transformation and claimed that she deserved an apology.

"Very stunning woman. The internet owes her an apology," the fan said.

Another fan called the Algerian "beautiful", while also stating her true allure reflected in the boxing ring.

"She's beautiful however she is happiest I found her to be gorgeous in the ring," the fan commented.

A fan strongly dissented the need for Khelif's makeover and wrote:

"She never needed it in the first place..."

Here are a few more reactions:

"The fact that she felt the need to do this to please the world is messed up, people who are misgendering her are really annoying," a fan expressed.

"The fact that she was forced into a hyper feminine aesthetic to please the gaze of strangers is kinda lame," another fan wrote. "But, the makeover eats—nibbles a bit, I should say."

"Beautiful transformation," one of the fans conveyed.

Imane Khelif's run to the Olympic gold at the Paris Olympics

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

Following her bout against Angela Carini in the women's 66 kg, Imane Khelif beat Hungary's Luca Hamori by unanimous decision in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals and assure herself of a medal.

The 25-year-old then took on Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in the final four and had another unanimous decision victory to qualify for the final. Here, Imane Khelif beat China's Yang Liu to win the gold medal.

Her triumph was one of two golds that Algeria won at the Paris Olympics, with gymnast Kaylia Nemour winning the women's uneven bars event. Their third medal at the French capital was a bronze, which runner Djamel Sedjati in the 800m.