Imane Khelif, one of the boxers at the centre of a gender row at the Olympics, secured victory in her women's 66kg quarter-final bout against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori.
The participation of Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting at Paris 2024 has led to scrutiny after they were disqualified from last year’s World Championships for failing to meet gender eligibility criteria.
International Boxing Association president Umar Kremlev posted on Telegram at the time of the two boxers' bans that DNA tests had "proven that they have XY chromosomes" but in a statement this week the IBA would only say that the athletes had failed "a separate and recognised test" that was not for testosterone.
On Thursday, Algeria’s Khelif won her fight in just 46 seconds, with opponent Angela Carini saying afterwards that she had "never felt a punch like this".
Victory set up a meeting with Gráinne Walsh's conqueror Hamori in the final eight on Saturday and cheered on by Algerian fans in the North Paris Arena, Khelif tested her opponent with a series of stinging jabs.
Hamori responded with a few good shots of her own, including a big right hook in the second round, but Khelif remained in control throwing some good body combinations.
The Algerian threw another huge punch to Hamori’s face in the third round and Khelif emerged victorious on unanimous decision.
Chinese Taipei fighter Lin also won her women’s featherweight (-57kg) fight on Friday with a unanimous decision victory over Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova.
Both Lin and Khelif have previously competed in female boxing events for a number of years, but the IBA – which carried out the tests in 2023 – said the duo failed "to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition".
Howev
Boxing
Paris 2024
Olympics
Sport
Khelif
Umar Kremlev