Imane Khelif

Early life

Khelif was born in Aïn Sidi Ali, Algeria, but moved with her parents to Biban Mesbah, a rural village in Tiaret Province, when she was two months old. Growing up as a young girl in a largely conservative community, she was surrounded by people, including her father, who would often discourage her from competing in sport.

Nevertheless, she developed an interest in sport, particularly football, at the age of six, and would sell bread on the street in an effort to support her family. Despite getting teased by the boys she played with, Khelif nonetheless continued to excel athletically and, at the age of 16, she made the transition to boxing.

While still struggling financially, she managed to make just enough money to afford the bus fare for her training sessions at a gym in the city of Tiaret.

Amateur career

2018 Women’s World Championships

Khelif lost her preliminary lightweight bout via a split decision to Kazakhstan’s Karina Ibragimova in New Delhi, India.

2019 Women’s World Championships

Once again, Khelif was eliminated in the first round of the tournament after losing another split decision, that time to Serbian lightweight Natalia Shadrina, in Russia.

2020 Olympics

Khelif became the first female boxer to represent Algeria at the Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals in Tokyo, Japan, before losing to two-time gold medallist Kellie Harrington via a unanimous decision.

2022 Strandja Memorial Tournament

Khelif claimed her first gold medal at an international amateur competition after defeating Russia’s Nataliya Sychugova in the final of their women’s 63kg event.

2022 Women’s World Championships

As a flagbearer for Algeria, Khelif became the first woman from her African nation to progress to the final of a World Championships after beating Chelsey Heijnen.

Following her bout with Ireland’s Amy Broadhurst, though, she was ultimately forced to settle with silver.

2022 Mediterranean Games

To claim her second gold medal at an international tournament, Khelif secured a unanimous decision victory over Italy’s Assunta Canfora in their welterweight final.

2023 World Championships Disqualification

Khelif was disqualified at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi, India, after she allegedly failed a gender eligibility test conducted by the IBA.

While details of the testing process are yet to be revealed, the IBA ultimately determined that she has XY chromosomes – which are commonly associated with men – and therefore banned her from competing as a female athlete.

But still, Khelif reached the semi-finals of the competition, beating previously undefeated Russian prospect Azalia Amineva in her round of 16 bout before claiming a unanimous decision victory against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng.

She was then disqualified ahead of her gold medal bout against China’s Yang Liu, with her previous four wins all getting overturned to no-contests.

2024 Olympics

Despite being disqualified by the IBA, Khelif was cleared by the International Olympic Commission (IOC) to compete at the Paris Olympics as a woman. This was because the IBA had been stripped of its Olympic recognition in 2023, meaning that the IOC were reluctant to follow its ruling.

Khelif then entered her preliminary bout against Italy’s Angela Carini as a sizable favourite, and produced a destructive performance to halt her opponent in just 46 seconds. Carini, who was reduced to tears shortly after withdrawing from their contest, admitted that she had never felt a punch as hard as her opponent’s.

It was at this point that questions over Khelif’s gender eligibility were raised, though Thomas Bach, the IOC president at the time, has stuck by his decision to allow her to box as a female. Regardless of the controversy surrounding her involvement, Khelif defeated Hungary’s Luca Hámori, Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng and finally China’s Yang Liu before claiming her first Olympic gold medal.

Trainers

Khelif has worked under the tutelage of her long-term boxing coach, Mohamed Chaoua, since she first stepped foot into her Tiaret-based gym as a teenager.

Chaoua continues to support his fighter both in and out of the ring, dismissing any accusations regarding her gender eligibility.

Fighting style

Khelif will often utilise her long levers to maintain distance, keeping her opponent behind an authoritative jab that she uses to control the range of any fight.

While she possesses destructive power, Khelif is not known for being a prolific knockout artist but rather a well-schooled technician.