• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Imane Khelif's former opponent makes important observation about Algerian ahead of her gold medal bout tonight

Home> News> Sport

Published 15:19 9 Aug 2024 GMT+1

Imane Khelif's former opponent makes important observation about Algerian ahead of her gold medal bout tonight

The Aussie boxer has weighed in on Imane Khelif's boxing style ahead of her Olympic final

Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair

A former opponent of Imane Khelif has shared how it really was to fight against the Algerian boxer.

Australian fighter Anja Stridsman has lifted the lid on how Khelif really is in the ring, ahead of her Olympic gold medal showdown tonight (9 August).

Khelif has come under fire with criticism on social media following her first round bout against Italian Angela Carini on 1 August, who walked out of the ring after just 46 seconds.

Imane Khelif has been at the centre of a gender row. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Imane Khelif has been at the centre of a gender row. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Advert

It wasn't the result that made headlines, but instead that the Algerian boxer had failed an unspecified 'gender test' at the 2023 World Championships, and was still allowed to compete at the Olympics.

Carini said she had 'never been hit so hard in my life', and made the decision to step out of the ring for her health.

The tests were run by the International Boxing Association (IBA), who are not affiliated with the Olympics, so the boxer was allowed to compete at the games, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later releasing a lengthy statement defending their decision.

The Algerian Olympic Committee also moved to defend their athlete, while Carini said that she 'wants to apologise' to Khelif following the controversy after her refusal to shake her hand.

Khelif has never identified as male, transgender, or intersex with her father having to reveal documents to prove his daughter's gender.

Advert

Stridman has come out in defence of the boxer. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Stridman has come out in defence of the boxer. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

But following complaints from Carini, Aussie Anja Stridsman, who beat the Algerian in 2019, recalled their bout.

"I remembered fighting her. She wasn’t particularly strong. Perhaps a bit angry but people get into this sport for different reasons," she explained.

The 37-year-old continued: "I remember people commenting to me 'surely she’s a man' and 'good on you for beating a man' and it angered me. Sure, it is easy to believe she is a man, she is masculine presenting, but who are we to judge her. Let her look however she wants.

"I won the fight. Her power was not any worse than any other female in the division," the Australian highlighted.

Advert

Though Stridsman did say that it was 'time for a conversation about trans athletes in competitive sports', she said people have to be kind to Khelif.

"Do not judge before you have all the information at hand," the boxer stated.

She isn't the first former opponent to speak out in support of Khelif, with Irish boxer Amy Broadhurst also calling for the hate to stop as she has been 'beaten by nine females' in the past.

Khelif could walk away from the games with a gold medal. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Khelif could walk away from the games with a gold medal. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Khelif is not the only boxer to have recently failed a gender test, as Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting also failed the test in 2023, with both reaching finals of their weight divisions at the Paris Olympics.

Advert

Amidst all the criticism, Khelif spoke out against the controversy following her semi-final win, having mostly steered clear of the media since her opening fight.

She stated: "I don't care what anyone is saying about me with the controversy.

"All that is important to me is that I stay on the level and give my people the performance they deserve. I know I'm a talented person and this is a gift to all Algerians."

The Algerian will face off against China's Liu Yang in the gold medal match in the welterweight division on Friday (9 August), while Yu-ting will try to win gold in the featherweight division on Saturday (10 August) against Julia Szeremeta of Poland.

Featured Image Credit: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images / Richard Pelham/Getty Images

Topics: Boxing, Olympics, Sport, World News

Joshua Nair
Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair is a journalist at LADbible. Born in Malaysia and raised in Dubai, he has always been interested in writing about a range of subjects, from sports to trending pop culture news. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a BA in Media, Journalism and Publishing, he got a job freelance writing for SPORTbible while working in marketing before landing a full-time role at LADbible. Unfortunately, he's unhealthily obsessed with Manchester United, which takes its toll on his mental and physical health. Daily.

X

@joshnair10

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

10 hours ago
11 hours ago
  • 10 hours ago

    Everything we know about Texas floods that have killed at least 121 as Trump arrives at disaster site

    The President and the First Lady have headed to the state one week after the horror floods wreaked havoc

    News
  • 10 hours ago

    Scientists make surprising discovery at what lies under Antarctic ice sheet after its been covered in ice for 34 million years

    It could help scientists predict the future of the ice sheet

    News
  • 11 hours ago

    Paedophile to be surgically castrated after raping girl, 6, in nation's shock new punishment tactic

    It comes a year after a law was passed in Madagascar permitting the controversial punishment

    News
  • 11 hours ago

    Scientists think they've worked out what unknown interstellar object in our solar system is

    It came from outside our own solar system

    News
  • Imane Khelif's next opponent reacts to upcoming Olympics bout after she stopped Italian in 46 seconds
  • Imane Khelif wins Olympic boxing gold medal following gender row
  • Imane Khelif will take home huge jackpot if she wins gold medal in Olympics boxing final tonight
  • Imane Khelif sends four word message to ‘enemies’ after winning gold medal despite gender eligibility row