In the quarter-finals of the women’s boxing tournament, -66 kg category, Algerian hyperandrogenic boxer Imane Khelif – at the center of controversy for her participation in the Games – won a points decision against Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori after three regular rounds. Since there is no bronze medal match scheduled in the Olympic program, the Algerian is now guaranteed to win at least a bronze. At the end of the match, a salute between the two boxers. In the first round, Khelif had won by retirement after a few seconds of Italian Angela Carini.
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When the strict Olympic protocol is broken by Algerian journalists who cheer and continue to chant her name, Imane Khelif carries the flag of her country on her broad shoulders. And she cries uncontrollably. Tears flow down a face that has now become a symbol of discord starting from sports, through rights, and even reaching genetics and its interpretations. But today, for her and for the Algerians, it is not a day of discord, it is a moment of celebration: by defeating Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori in a three-round match, not in 46 seconds, Imane Khelif has secured the first medal for her country at this Olympics. In the chaos of the corridors leading to the dressing rooms of the North Paris Arena, it is not clear, but it is evident that she too has taken some punches today. They were given by her opponent, Anna Luca Hamori, who sports a smile even though she lost: “I am proud of myself.”
She and the entire Hungarian sports world here in Paris claim they have not been under pressure, at least they say so, and have never thought of not stepping into the ring. Certainly, Anna Luca fought on par until the third gong, the last of her Olympic adventure in 2024. Not like the Italian Angela Carini who, two days ago, after taking a blow that “made her feel terrible”, abandoned the match. The Algerian and the Hungarian engaged in a fierce battle without thinking about the controversies, about those who speak with absolute certainty on this matter: from people in bars to the politics of one idea and its contrary, to J.K. Rowling, to Elon Musk. They grappled twice, exhausted, they fell on the canvas.
Then they got back up. How does the saying go? It’s not about not falling, it’s about getting back up after falling. They resumed exchanging punches. That’s boxing, beauty. Even though beauty, in this venue near Charles De Gaulle airport, or rather in this sport that has been marked by too many controversies for too many years, beauty lies mostly in the stands, with Algerian fans making noise even during matches that do not involve them and with Colombian fans crying like children when they realize their favorite, Ingrit Lorena Valencia Victoria, has been defeated and will not win a medal. So, on the ring, it’s just Imane against Anna Luca. Three rounds, nine minutes, and then the verdict. Unanimous. The referee raised the muscular arm of the African boxer. Imane Khelif has won the quarter-final match in the -66 kg category. In Olympic boxing, there is no third or fourth place match, to avoid more punches being exchanged. This means she will definitely return home (what a celebration she will receive) with a medal, at least a bronze. The first Algerian at Paris 2024, the eighteenth in the history of her country. In the semifinals, she will face Thai boxer Janjaem Suwannapheng. In the mixed zone, Imane’s tears show no signs of stopping. “It’s a matter of dignity and honor for every woman. The entire Arab world has known me for years. I have competed in international boxing for years, they have been unfair to me. But I have God.” And “God made her a woman,” an Algerian journalist, in English, screams to an Italian colleague in a mixed zone where the Olympic protocol has been thrown out the window. It’s the press, beauty.
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