By Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Sports journalist
Olympic welterweight champion in Paris, Imane Khelif also caused a huge scandal linked to her gender. The young woman, above all, remembers her success, which she has been aiming for for years after a youth that was anything but obvious in Algeria.
In an event like the Olympic Games, sport usually takes precedence over everything else. This is undoubtedly what Imane Khelif would have liked to see during her participation in those in Paris. However, her gold medal won in the -66kg category was tainted by accusations that she was actually a man. Accusations that still pursue her today.
Imane Khelif reveals her livelihood growing up in Algeria
Targeted by international celebrities on the sidelines of her triumph at the Olympics, Khelif was inevitably affected by this affair. This, while she should have savored this recognition of her long-term work as she should. Because yes, between the Algerian and boxing, the love story goes back several years, as she recalled in the columns of Vogue Arabia :
Imane Khelif: Even at school, I loved sport. I was always among the best in my class. And then I fell in love with boxing on my first day of training. I felt it was the perfect sport for me and I knew I could achieve great results there. On top of that, boxing is considered a poor man's sport.
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Little Imane therefore quickly identified with the noble art and its values given the environment in which she grew up. Anything but raised in wealth, she therefore had to provide for her own needs in order to be able to afford courses and progress in this discipline which tempted her so much. To do this, she would have used various methods which she reveals:
Imane Khelif: I sold bread on the side of the road and collected plastic, aluminum and iron to earn money and have access to a room. (…) I had to make sacrifices in many areas. In my personal life, with regard to my education. I did everything to reach the top.
Substantial efforts which will not have remained in vain, since Khelif can consider having accomplished part of this quest during the summer of 2024. Enough to undoubtedly make his trainer very proud, who always predicted such a destiny for him:
Imane Khelif: My coach, Mohamed Chaoua, always told me that one day I would be an Olympic champion. He taught me the importance and value of this status.
Seduced very early by boxing, Imane Khelif nevertheless had to do various odd jobs in order to claim access to a gym. In any case, she has no reason to regret this journey following her coronation at the Paris Olympic Games.
