Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who has been at the center of a gender-based controversy at the Paris Olympics, has claimed the title of Olympic champion.
Khelif secured the gold medal in the women's welterweight final by unanimously defeating China's Yang Liu.
The boxer faced intense scrutiny after one of her previous opponents withdrew just 46 seconds into the match, citing concerns for her health due to the power of Khelif's punches.
The 25-year-old had stated that winning gold would be the "best response" to her critics.
Some have argued that Khelif should not have been permitted to compete, citing concerns over potential testosterone advantages.
Both Khelif and a Taiwanese boxer were banned from last year's world championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for failing to meet gender eligibility criteria.
However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) criticized those tests as deeply flawed and has since banned the IBA over issues related to governance, alleged corruption, and ties to Russia.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach also defended Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-ting against the online misinformation at a press conference, saying: "Let's be very clear, we are talking about women's boxing," per BBC.
"We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised as a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as a woman," he continued. "This is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman."
The Algerian boxer had been at the center of a huge media storm throughout the Olympics after beating Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds.
The Italian boxer reportedly told her coach “It’s not right, it’s not right,” and said she was unable to continue before collapsing to her knees.
Carini subsequently refused to shake Khelif's hand after the athlete was announced as the winner, and later revealed that she dropped out because she felt "a strong pain in the nose".
Since the fight, which took place on August 1, speculation around Khelif's eligibility to compete in women's boxing went viral on social media, with high-profile figures like J.K. Rowling, Elon Musk, and Logan Paul opposing her inclusion in the competition and spreading misinformation on the matter.
The boxer's own father, Omar Khelif, weighed in on the row during an interview with Sky News, showing the outlet his daughter's birth certificate to viewers to prove that she was born a girl.
"My child is a girl. She was raised as a girl. She's a strong girl. I raised her to be hard-working and brave. She has a strong will to work and to train," he said. "The Italian opponent she faced was unable to defeat my daughter because my daughter was stronger and she was softer."
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