Boxer Imane Khelif (right) is welcomed by Algerian officials.
Algiers: Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif said she had won for her country’s women as Algeria’s Paris Games medallists received a hero’s welcome at Algiers airport yesterday.
Khelif, who was the centre of a gender controversy at the Olympics on her way to the women’s 66kg title, teenage gymnastics gold medallist Kaylia Nemour and men’s 800m bronze medallist Djamel Sedjati brandished their medals for the waiting fans.
The crowd cheered Khelif with chants of “Tahia Imane” (long live Imane).
“The answer lay in the results of each match,” she said.
“I wanted to show the strength of performance and the presence of women in general, and Algerian women in particular.”
The had stated during the Games it had disqualified Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting from its world championships last year. The IBA had allowed both boxers to compete in Tokyo three years ago.
Khelif, 25, addressed what she called a “relentless campaign” yesterday.
She said she wanted “to thank the Algerian people who supported me in this ordeal and gave me strength”.
“Algerian women are an example and a model for the whole world,” the boxer said.
“Thanks to God, we have restored Algeria’s honour and flown the Algerian flag in Paris, which is the most important thing.”
