After advancing to the finals of the women’s 66-kilogram welterweight class, Imane Khelif will compete for the Olympic gold medal.
After her 46-second victory against Italy’s Angela Carini, the 25-year-old Algerian superstar became the focus of a massive media frenzy that lasted the whole Olympics.
According to reports, the Italian fighter cried out to her coach, “It’s not right, it’s not right,” and then collapsed to her knees, unable to continue.
Carini later said that she withdrew from the competition due to “a strong pain in the nose” and then declined to shake Khelif’s hand upon the announcement of the winner.
Famous people including J.K. Rowling, Elon Musk, and Logan Paul have spoken out against Khelif’s presence in the women’s boxing championship and have propagated false information about her ability to participate since the fight on August 1.