Imane Khelif left a competing fighter grateful for avoiding major injuries following their clash in 2022 – nearly two years before igniting a gender controversy at the Paris Olympic Games.
Khelif triumphed over Italy’s Angela Carini on Thursday, as Carini withdrew just 46 seconds into the bout after sustaining a nose injury early on. She was visibly upset post-fight, stating that her safety was her priority and that she had never experienced such a hard blow before.
Khelif is not the only athlete to express such sentiments after facing her.
In December 2022, Khelif defeated Brianda Tamara in Guadalajara, Mexico, with such intensity that Tamara expressed disbelief at escaping serious harm.
Months later, in March 2023, Khelif faced disqualification before the final of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships due to elevated testosterone levels, prompting Tamara to voice her concerns.
Imane Khelif left a rival fighter thanking god for avoiding serious injury in a 2022 fight
Mexican fighter Brianda Tamara showed off her injuries from fighting Khelif back in 2022
Brianda Tamara spoke in March 2023 about how hurt she was from the fight with Khelif
She expressed on X at the time: ‘When I fought against her (Khelif), I felt completely outmatched; her punches inflicted significant pain on me.’
‘I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that in my 13 years as a boxer, nor in previous sparring sessions with men.’
‘Thank goodness I exited the ring unscathed, and it’s reassuring to see this finally acknowledged.’
A recent Instagram post from Tamara shows her bruised and cut face, attributing the injuries to her bout with Khelif.
On Thursday, as Khelif’s match with Carini threatened to overshadow the ongoing Paris Games, Tamara responded to Claressa Shields, an American female boxer, on X, revealing that she received death threats following her comments about fighting Khelif.
Shields had tweeted: ‘I’m taking a stand! Women should face women, men should face men, and trans individuals should face trans individuals! This is absurd, and I feel heartbroken for the women boxers at the Olympics!’
Tamara replied: ‘But they wished me death simply for expressing my opinion.’
Khelif herself decried her 2023 disqualification, claiming at the time: ‘Certain countries did not want Algeria to win a gold medal.’
‘This is a conspiracy, a massive conspiracy, and we will not remain silent about it.’
Reports of genetic tests conducted in 2023 indicate that the 25-year-old Khelif possesses male XY chromosomes in her DNA, yet she is not transgender.
Similar debates concerning gender in sports have emerged previously, notably with South African runner and two-time 800m Olympic gold medal champion Caster Semenya, who also has XY chromosomes. However, the discussions here are more intense due to the physical demands of boxing.
Italian boxer Angela Carini was in tears as she quit the fight with Khelif after 36 seconds
Khelif fights next on Saturday against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori at the Paris Games
Khelif, who was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics, will face Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori on Saturday – who has stated she is not worried.
‘I’m not afraid,’ Hamori expressed to reporters. ‘I don’t care about the media narrative or social media. If she or he is a man, it would make my victory all the more significant.’
‘I’m trying to stay away from my phone leading up to the fight. I want to disregard the comments or the stories making headlines.’
‘I need to focus on my own performance. I did this successfully before my last two matches, and I believe that’s the key. We will see how it goes.’
