Boxer Imane Khelif advances to gold-medal bout with another victory amid gender misconceptions

PARIS (AP) — Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria advanced to the gold-medal bout in the women’s welterweight division at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday night, moving one win away from what she calls the best response to the worldwide scrutiny she has faced over misconceptions about her gender.

With one more victory, Khelif would win Algeria’s second boxing gold medal and its first in women's boxing.

Khelif defeated Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand 5:0 in the semifinals at Roland Garros, where the crowd roared for her and chanted her name repeatedly during her three-round fight. Khelif has won three consecutive bouts in Paris, and she will win either a gold or a silver medal when she completes the tournament on Friday against Yang Liu of China.

Khelif has thrived inside the ring in Paris amid criticism and stigmatization outside of it. The trouble has stemmed from the Olympic-banished International Boxing Association’s decision to disqualify her and fellow Paris medalist Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei from the world championships last year for allegedly failing an eligibility test.

The controversy has become one of the biggest stories of the Paris Olympics, but it isn't causing any negative effects on her performances in the ring.

“I don’t care about that,” Khelif said through an interpreter. “I wish to be ready and show a good standard, show my talent, because I want to entertain everyone.”

Khelif had already clinched Algeria’s first medal in women’s boxing before she stepped into the ring to rousing roars at Court Philippe Chatrier. She then controlled her bout with Suwannapheng, who took a standing 8-count late in the third after absorbing a series of punches.

“I had heard about the news regarding her, but I wasn’t following it closely,” Suwannapheng said. “She is a woman, but she is very strong.”

Khelif has won every round on every judge's card in her two fights that have gone the distance in Paris. She has made the most important tournament run of her international career while under the most pressure she has ever faced.

“I am very happy,” Khelif said. “I’ve worked eight years for these Olympics, and I’m very proud of this moment. I would like to thank the support from people back home.”

The ending of Khelif’s first bout in Paris propelled her into the center of a worldwide divide over gender identity and safety regulations in sports. Her first opponent, Angela Carini of Italy, tearfully quit after just 46 seconds, saying she was in too much pain from Khelif’s punches.

Carini’s abandonment of the fight led to comments from the likes of former U.S. President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” writer J.K. Rowling and others falsely claiming Khelif was a man or transgender. Carini later apologized for her decision.

In an interview Sunday with SNTV, a sports video partner of The Associated Press, Khelif said the wave of hateful scrutiny she is facing “harms human dignity” and called for an end to bullying athletes.

Khelif also said she felt the “best response” to the uproar around her would be to win a gold medal — and now she's one win away.

After sharing a hug with Suwannapheng and holding open the ropes for her opponent in a traditional boxing gesture of sportsmanship, Khelif celebrated by running furiously in place while pumping her fists as the crowd roared for her again. The celebration was more joyous than her cathartic finish to her quarterfinal victory over Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori, when she slammed her palm on the canvas as she teared up.

Khelif received her post-fight medical check and was headed out of the Roland Garros arena when she was mobbed by fans near the exit. They hugged Khelif, demanded selfies and waved Algerian flags while she made her way backstage.

Khelif received cheers that echoed through the famed tennis arena from the moment she entered to face Suwannapheng. Roland Garros welcomed a prominent turnout from Algerian fans voicing their national pride in a boxer whose negative spotlight has been taken quite personally in her country.

Both fighters came out aggressively, trading punches from distance. Khelif was more accurate while winning the first round on all five cards, and she repeated the performance in the second.

The fight got more physical in the third, with Suwannapheng pushing forward to make a comeback. The bout was stopped for a standing 8-count late in the third when Suwannapheng absorbed a few head punches in succession, although Suwannapheng appeared to shrug as if it wasn't necessary — as is often the case in Olympic boxing, where referees can stop a bout for relatively minor reasons.

“I tried to use my speed, but my opponent was just too strong," Suwannapheng said.

The 25-year-old Khelif is on the best run of her amateur career at the Olympics. She has performed solidly at the international level and even won some regional tournaments, but Khelif has never been a dominant fighter on the world stage until her two strong performances — and 46 seconds of easy work against a third — to reach the final in Paris.

The IOC and its president, Thomas Bach, have repeatedly defended the Olympic eligibility of Khelif and Lin while condemning the IBA as incompetent and biased.

Khelif and Lin were disqualified by the IBA in the middle of last year’s world championships over what it claimed were failed eligibility tests for the women’s competition. The IBA has been banished from the Olympics since before the Tokyo Games, and the body struggled to articulate the reasoning for its decisions on Khelif and Lin at a news conference Monday.

Lin also has clinched a medal and advanced to the Olympic semifinals. She fights Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey on Wednesday night.

Algeria’s Olympic team has reacted forcefully to the criticism and negative attention around Khelif, and the fan turnout in Roland Garros reflected the seriousness with which the accusations have been received in her home country and in its French diaspora.

Chinese Taipei has reacted with equal condemnation of the IBA’s claims and the worldwide swirl of scrutiny. Sports officials on Tuesday said they are considering legal action against the IBA after sending a letter protesting “the International Boxing Association’s continued publication of false information, obscuring the facts, and attempting to interfere with the normal conduct of the event regardless of the rights and interests of athletes.”

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand, left, looks on after Match Referee Shawn Reese raises the arm of Imane Khelif of Algeria to announce the winner of their women's 66kg semifinal boxing match, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (Richard Pelham/Pool Photo via AP)

Algeria's Imane Khelif defeats Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng, left, in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng, left, fights Algeria's Imane Khelif in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng, right, fights Algeria's Imane Khelif in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Algeria's Imane Khelif celebrates after defeating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Algeria's Imane Khelif celebrates after defeating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Algeria's Imane Khelif reacts after defeating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Algeria's Imane Khelif reacts after defeating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Algeria's Imane Khelif gestures after defeating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Algeria's Imane Khelif celebrates after defeating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Algeria's Imane Khelif hits Hungary's Anna Hamori in their women's 66kg quarterfinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif poses for a photo after an interview with SNTV at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Mark Stone had a goal and two assists and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Seattle Kraken 6-2 on Saturday night.

After falling behind 1-0 less than three minutes into the game, the Golden Knights scored three unanswered goals in the first period and never relinquished the lead.

After Keegan Kolesar tied the game at 1-all, Brett Howden took Jack Eichel’s pass from behind the net and beat Philipp Grubauer at the doorstep to give Vegas a one-goal edge. Nic Hague's goal later in the period put Vegas up, 3-1.

William Karlsson and Noah Hanifin also added goals in the third and Ilya Samsonov stopped 21 shots to improve to 8-3-1. Eichel finished with two assists.

Vince Dunn and Jaden Schwartz scored for Seattle while Grubauer made 29 saves and fell to 3-10-0.

Kraken: Center Chandler Stephenson made his first return to Vegas since signing with Seattle as a free agent during the offseason. Stephenson is the only NHL player to hoist the Stanley Cup twice in Vegas, winning inside T-Mobile Arena with Washington in 2018, and again with the Knights in 2023.

Golden Knights: Vegas has won three straight and seven of eight in December. With the win, the Knights (47) are now four points in front of Los Angeles (43) in the Pacific Division and two points shy of Western Conference-leading Winnipeg (49).

Trailing 1-0, Kolesar took a cross-ice pass from Victor Olofsson that led him perfectly on a breakaway. Kolesar’s snipe over Grubauer’s glove gave him his career-high eighth goal of the season.

Seattle is now 1-17-1 when trailing after two periods while Vegas improved to 12-1-0 when leading after the first 40 minutes.

The Knights host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. The Kraken visit the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

Vegas Golden Knights centers Brett Howden (21) and Jack Eichel (9) celebrate after Howden's goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde (37) and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin (15) battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) and right wing Cole Schwindt (22) celebrate after Kolesar's goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Seattle Kraken center Yanni Gourde shoots against Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Seattle Kraken center Chandler Stephenson (9) shoots against Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Ilya Samsonov (35) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Keegan Kolesar (55) celebrates after scoring a goal against the Seattle Kraken during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)