International Sport
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif breaks down in tears after securing a medal for her country
At the centre of the controversy, the boxer secures a medal, receives the support of the entire Algerian delegation and leaves the Paris Nord Arena in tears.
Boxer Imane Khelif breaks down in tears after securing a medal for her country (Photo Prensa Libre: EFE)
Algeria’s Imane Khelif defeated Hungary’s Lucca Anna Hamori by unanimous decision (5-0) in the quarter-finals of the 66-kilogram category of the boxing competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and secured a medal.
Khelif, 25, clearly defeated the Hungarian boxer and walked down the ring steps in tears, emotional, affected by the controversy generated by the withdrawal of her rival in the quarterfinals, the Italian Angela Carini.
“Take her, take her! Take her now!” shouted the former middle-distance runner. Hassiba Boulmerkathe best athlete in the history of Algeria and now secretary general of the Olympic Committee of her country, when the boxer Imane Khelif was passing through the mixed zone of the Arena Paris Nord.
Where around 200 journalists from around the world stood in front of her in search of a few words after securing a medal for her country and she only cried since the fight was over.
“I feel good. It is the first medal for an Algerian boxer. I want to thank everyone, especially the Arabs. It is a victory for all women.“, said the boxer.
After the fight, the Hungarian member of the Olympic Committee International Balázs Fürjes has commented on this matter.
“The boxing competitions in Paris will have consequences that must be carefully evaluated after the Games,” he said, adding that, “as a member of the IOC,” he was 100 percent convinced that the organization “will take the right decisions.”
Khelif secures medal in Paris and faces a semi-final in which she already knows her rival. She will face the Thai Janjaem Suwannapheng in search of a place in the final.
The boxer has been in international attention after the International Boxing Association (IBA) claimed she had failed an unspecified eligibility test for women’s bouts last year. The IBA has found itself ostracised by the Olympic movement following a series of scandals.
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