Imane Khelif's former opponent makes important observation about Algerian ahead of her gold medal bout tonight
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.
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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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Topics: Boxing, Olympics, Sport, World News
Joshua Nair