Paris Olympics: Imane Khelif hopes to inspire Algerian girls to follow in her footsteps

Imane Khelif is used to overcoming obstacles.

Raised in the rural village of Tiaret in western Algeria, Khelif excelled at football as a teenager, despite the game largely seen as one not fit for girls.

At 16 she would often endure the jealousy of her male counterparts, with some, she says, expressing their frustrations physically.

The boys in her village felt threatened and picked fights with her. Ironically, it was her ability to dodge the boys’ punches that got her into boxing.

If making her mark in a male-dominated game like football was hard then boxing proved even more of a challenge. Khelif faced resistance from within her own family – her father initially did not approve of her new pursuit – and she was forced to travel to the next village 10 kilometres away each week to find a boxing gym that would accommodate her.

That meant money for a bus fare, and the family's finances were already stretched. To raise money, Khelif sold scrap metal for recycling and her mother sold couscous. Together they were able to afford the bus to the town for Khelif to have regular boxing training sessions.

“I started with nothing and now I have everything,” she said in an interview with Unicef. “Both my parents come to support me. They are my biggest fans."

Khelif entered her first tournament age 19, finishing 17th at the 2018 World Championships in New Delhi. She represented Algeria at the 2019 World Championships in Russia, placing 33rd overall.

Now she forms part of the five-strong Algeria boxing team – two men, three women – who will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, starting on July 26.

A post shared by Imane Khelif | إيمان خليف