Imane Khelif set to turn professional after winning Olympic gold

Khelif became the first Algerian female Olympic boxing gold medallist when she triumphed in the women’s welterweight category in Paris.

However, the 25-year-old’s road to victory was marred by a gender identity row that saw many demand that Khelif be thrown out of the Games.

Despite the outside noise, Khelif rose to the occasion to claim gold and will now put her amateur days behind her as she enters the paid ranks.

‘I would like to hold a press conference today to share with you my success story with the media family and young women who watch me,’ she said on Sunday.

Khelif’s story came under scrutiny in Paris after she was disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championships for allegedly failing gender eligibility rules set by the International Boxing Association.

The Algerian was cleared to compete in the French capital by the International Olympic Committee but was still the target of abuse online which only increased after her 46-second stoppage win against Italy’s Angela Carini.

Khelif later filed a lawsuit against several individuals for their role in her cyber harassment during the Games, including Elon Musk and JK Rowling.

And only last month, the boxer was forced to deny that she had been stripped of her gold medal or been banned from boxing after inaccurate claims emerged online.

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