The Algerian boxer embroiled in a major gender controversy at the Paris Olympics won her semi-final on Tuesday to guarantee at least a silver medal in front of a raucous Roland Garros crowd that chanted her name.
Imane Khelif defeated Thailand’s 2023 world silver medallist Janjaem Suwannapheng in a unanimous points decision to march into Friday’s final in the women’s 66kg category.
“I am like all athletes, I am here to achieve my dream,” Khelif told AFP afterwards.
Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, the other boxer in the eye of a storm over her eligibility, is herself sure to take home at least bronze at a different weight.
The 25-year-old Khelif and Lin both fought at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago but there was no controversy at the time and neither won a medal.
Both were disqualified from last year’s world championships after failing gender eligibility tests, but were cleared to compete in Paris.
Khelif was given the biggest roar of the night as she entered the arena at Roland Garros, usually home to Grand Slam tennis but hosting Olympic boxing and a sizeable number of Algerian fans with flags.
Cries of “Imane, Imane” rang out repeatedly before and during the bout.
The Thai Janjaem, who had a clear height disadvantage, took a standing count in the third round after feeling the full power of the superior Algerian.
At the end of the fight at the 15,000-seated Court Philippe-Chatrier, which was close to capacity, the two fighters greeted each other warmly and shook hands.
Khelif did a dance in the middle of the ring, to more roars of approval.
She faces Yang Liu for gold after the Chinese boxer beat Taiwan’s Chen Nien-chin in the other semi-final on points.
“I am focusing on the competition and other things are not important. The important thing is that I am in the final now,” Khelif told BeIN Sports.
“I am very proud of this new achievement. I gave everything I had. We worked as a team for years and the dream has become a reality.
“I hope to focus and be up to the responsibility in the dream final.”
The beaten Thai moved to play down the furore.
“I had heard about the news regarding her, but I wasn’t following it closely,” she said. “She is a woman, but she is very strong.”
The gender controversy ignited when Khelif defeated Angela Carini in 46 seconds in her opening bout in the French capital, the Italian reduced to tears and abandoning the fight after suffering a badly hurt nose.
The 2023 world championships, from which Lin and Khelif were expelled, were run by the International Boxing Association (IBA) but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is organising the sport at the Games because of financial, governance and ethical concerns at the IBA.
The IBA’s Kremlin-linked president Umar Kremlev claimed at a chaotic press conference on Monday that both fighters had “genetic testing that shows that these are men”.