Imane Khelif is a professional female boxer from Algeria. She has established herself as one of the best female boxers in Africa by securing gold medals at top events such as the Arab Games, African Amateur Boxing Championships, and other similar competitions. At the Summer Olympics 2024, she would be seeking to add her first Olympics gold medal to her collection. Imane Khelif has been faced with backlash following her fight with Angela Carini at the Summer Olympics 2024 competition. She has been criticized for being transgender and hiding under a female identity to win medals. Is that true? This Imane Khelif Biography will answer that question. As you’ll be reading an in-depth biography about Imane Khelif’s early life, career, and other information about Imane Khelif as an athlete and as a person. Let’s get started by checking out Imane Khelif’s profile.
Profile Rundown
Full Name: Imane Khelif.
Date Of Birth: May 2, 1999.
Age: 25
Place Of Birth: Tiaret.
Nationality: Algerian.
Occupation: Professional Boxer.
Gender: Female.
Imane Khelif Early Life
Imene Khelif was born on the 2nd of May, 1995. She hails from Tiaret, Algeria. As of 2024, Imane Khelif is 25 years of age. While growing up, her father never allowed her to participate in sports. Regardless of this, Imane Khelif was determined to be a boxer. She often sold scrap metals, and bread to attend training sessions and afford transportation fees.
Imane Khelif Career
In her tender years, Imane Khelif started as a footballer. However, she made a start to her career in boxing at the 2018 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. At the competition, she finished in the 17th position after she was eliminated by Karina Ibragimova. After that competition, Imane Khelif proceeded to the 2019 edition of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. This time she ended up being knocked out at the first round by Natalia Shadrina.
The following year in 2020, she was selected among boxers to represent Algeria at the 2020 Summer Olympics at the women’s lightweight event. She progressed to the quarterfinals where she was beaten by her Ireland counterpart, Kellie Harrington. After training for two years, Imane Khelif was once again selected to represent Algeria at the 2022 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. She had one of the best runs of her career at this competition. Imane Khelif proceeded to reach the final before being beaten by Amy Broadhurst.
Later that year, Imane Khelif saw further success at the other competitions she participated in. She was awarded the gold medal in the women’s boxing categories at competitions such as the Arab Games, African Amateur Boxing Championships, and Mediterranean Games. In March 2023, Imane Khelif once again reached the final of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. However, this time, a new twist unfolded that caused Imane Khelif not able to participate in the final round of the competition.
Due to medical reasons, Imane Khelif was disqualified from participating in the final of the IBA competition. It was reported that Imane Khelif’s disqualification was due to a high amount of testosterone levels in her body. According to an expert endocrinologist, Gianluca Aimretti who examined the case, she mentioned that these abnormalities in testosterone levels may be a result of congenital diseases by Imane Khelif at birth. As a result of her disqualification, Imane Khelif made an appeal to the Court Of Arbitration for Sport. This appeal was later withdrawn by Khalif, thus, making her disqualification from the IBA Competition valid.
YOU ALSO WANT TO READ: Burna Boy Biography: Age, State, Career and Net Worth
In their defense, the IOC claimed that Imane Khelif didn’t undergo proper testosterone examinations. According to the IOC, they claimed that in the tests that they underwent, the specifics remained confidential. They discovered that Imane Khalif and other athletes in this category had a competitive advantage over other female athletes.
Not too long after, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) responded to the IBA claims. They stated that the IBA decisions were without due process. They further encouraged the IBA to establish a clear procedure for gender testing and examinations.
Fast forward to 2024, Imane Khelif was among the several sportsmen and women selected to become UNICEF ambassadors. Also, because of the many discrepancies in the judgment of the IBA and other controversial issues surrounding the IBA decisions in 2023, they were banned from organizing the 2024 Summer Olympics boxing tournaments. This then put the IOC in pole position to organize the boxing competition at the Olympics.
With the IOC, Imane Khelif had no issues regarding her gender. She was cleared to compete at the Olympics having met all the eligibility criteria as outlined by the IOC.
Things went well for Imane Khalif until when she defeated Angela Carini in the second round. Angela Carini chose to forfeit her round citing pain in her nose that came from the punches of Imane Khelif. She claimed that Angela Carini’s punches were so powerful that she chose to forfeit her round rather than get seriously injured or die in the ring. This event between the two female boxers sparked controversies all over the world. Khalif received backlash from social media from those who believed that she was a transgender female. The IOC was also the target of some criticisms with some claiming that the IOC deliberately knew that Imane Khalif was a biological male.
The country of birth of Imane Khelif, Algeria has also responded to the backlash received by the athlete. Algeria, through its Algeria Olympic Committee, claims that being transgender is illegal as an Algerian. So, they have made a stand that it would not have been possible for Imane Khelif to compete at the Summer Olympics 2024 even if she was a transgender female.
In a statement released by the Algeria Olympic Committee (COA) to the public media houses: ” The COA strongly condemns the targeting and criticisms of Imane Khelif, with unverified propaganda from certain foreign media houses and organizations.”
“These propaganda on our athlete’s personality and dignity are really unjust, especially as she prepares to attain a good medal at the Olympics. The COA has taken all necessary steps to protect our champion.”
Regardless of the criticisms, Imane Khelif progressed to the next round and is poised to face Luca Hamori. She would be hoping to defeat Luca Hamori and secure a place in the final rounds.
Imane Khelif Age
Imane Khelif is 25 years of age. She was born in 1995, and this makes her 25 years of age as of 2024.
Imane Khelif Net Worth
Imane Khelif is estimated to have a net worth of $3 million.
Imane Khelif Gender
Imane Khelif is a biological female. However, she was born with a health disorder called Hyperaldosteronism. This condition is characterized by an abnormal amount of androgen levels in the blood of a human. This condition then causes elevated testosterone levels and the presence of XY chromosomes as is common with the male gender.
READ ALSO: Erica Ash Biography: Movies, Net Worth & Death
Conclusion
In recent times, Imane Khelif has been on the wrong side of the news over her gender. However, thanks to this well-researched article about the early life and career of Imane Khelif, you’ve gotten factual evidence about Imane Khelif. You’ve been able to see that Imane Khelif is a biological female athlete with a natural disorder. This disorder is what makes her appear different but doesn’t change the fact that she is a female.
