Olympics Day 10: Imane Khelif advances to welterweight final, Harrington wins second gold

Imane Khelif, the Algerian female welterweight who has fought against gender stereotypes at the 2024 Olympics, will compete for the gold medal.

25-year-old Khelif from Tiaret, Algeria defeated Thai opponent Janjaem Suwannapheng at Roland Garros in Paris, winning 5-0 to advance to the 66 kilogram final on Friday, August 9. There he will meet China's Yang Liu, who won his semi-final against Taiwan's Chen Nien Chin by a 4-1 decision.

Khelif controlled a fairly uneventful first round as Suwannapheng struggled to get between the Algerian's long left jab. Suwannapheng increased his aggression in the second round but had trouble getting close as Khelif used his footwork and kicks to keep the fight at a distance in favor of his 5'10” frame.

Khelif's mastery continued into the third, when two right hands returned Suwannapheng's head for a standing figure eight. After the announcement of this decision, Khelif danced with joy, as he is now preparing to fight for the chance to win the second boxing gold medal in the country in North Africa, following Hocine Soltani, who won the 60 kg gold medal at the Olympics in 1996.

While Khelif's dominance in the ring has been remarkable, it has been the controversy surrounding his inclusion in the Olympic Games that has garnered the most headlines. Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting were the only two female boxers banned from last year's World Championships after allegedly failing an unspecified gender test.

The World Championships are run by the International Boxing Association, which has been forced to change its name several times and is permanently barred from overseeing Olympic boxing due to administrative and financial problems. The IBA is headed by Umar Kremlev, a Russian citizen who is close to Vladimir Putin, and was responsible for moving the organization's headquarters from Switzerland to Russia.

The controversy made headlines last week, when Italy's Angela Corini called off her fight with Khelif just 46 seconds into the contest, saying she was beaten more than ever.

However, neither of Khelif's two successors was too impressed by Khelif's punches.

International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams told The Associated Press earlier this week that the IBA's gender testing was “unacceptable,” and IOC President Thomas Bach suggested that the outrage against the two boxers was part of a Russian-led campaign.

“We have two boxers who were born as women, raised as women, have a passport as a woman and have been competing for many years as women,” said Bach. “Some want to have a definition of who a woman is.”

Kellie Harrington, a 34-year-old Irish boxer from Dublin, won her second gold medal in a row, defeating China's Yang Wenlu 4-1 by decision in the women's 60kg final.

Harrington, who also won that category's title at the Tokyo Games, told reporters afterward that he planned to go out into the sunset at higher altitudes.

“Last sound, I'm done. I've always said I want to retire the champion, that's it,” Harrington told RTE.

“It gives hope to all these young children, all these children. It gives hope to the Irish people, but this one was mine.”

Harrington says he plans to focus on life with his wife, Mandy.