The story of the boxer making headlines: She once sold bread to survive, now she is seeking an Olympic medal

Olympic boxer Imane Khelif, who sparked an international gender debate after stopping her opponent in 46 seconds on Thursday, has spoken about her courage in overcoming a difficult life to reach the top of her sport.

The athlete described how she rose from selling bread on the streets of her village in Algeria to becoming a sporting hero. A coach steered her toward the sport because of her physical abilities, writes the Daily Mail.

Even then, she faced prejudice, as her family and the conservative community where she lived saw sport as “something that is only for men”.

The 25-year-old was one of two athletes disqualified from last year’s World Boxing Championships after they failed to meet the “eligibility criteria for gender”. Now she is aiming for an Olympic gold medal, which would fulfill her dreams. She advanced to the quarterfinals with a victory over Italy’s Angela Carini.

But the triumph was overshadowed by debate. The Italian withdrew in tears after just 46 seconds and told her coaches, “It’s not fair”.

In an interview filmed before the Games, Khelif spoke about returning to the sport after being banned last year.

“I wanted to show the whole world what a brave woman Imane Khelif is.”

Her appearance in Paris is expected to be among the most discussed in the history of the Olympic Games. There has already been a great deal of reaction to her competing against female boxers. But the leaders of the Olympic movement came to the boxer’s defense, saying that she was being subjected to “aggression”.

Khelif shared the IOC statement on social media and wrote: “Thanks be to God. Divine justice”.

During the bout, Carini was hit twice. She suffered a broken nose and barely threw a punch before turning to her corner: “It’s not fair”.

She then fell to her knees and refused to shake Khelif’s hand. She said she had withdrawn to save her life.

In an interview with Canal Algerie, which also features photos of Khelif as a young girl, the Algerian described how she was inspired to take up boxing because of the physical abilities her school coach saw in her.

When asked why she chose to take up a sport often known as a boys’ sport, Khelif replied: “It was a pure opportunity. I never imagined that one day I would become a boxer and that I would become a world champion. I have always loved football and played for my small village. My father always preferred football to boxing. But I was very good at sports at school, and my teacher encouraged me to become a boxer because I had good physical abilities. And he was right,” Khelif said.

She said she “fell in love” with boxing as soon as she stepped into the ring for the first time. She had a difficult childhood.

“I come from a conservative region and family. From their point of view, boxing is only for boys.”

She said she had to travel from her village to the city to train.

“These were the obstacles I faced when I started. I have had to sell bread on the street. I collected dishes and other things to earn money and get around, because I came from a very poor family,” said the boxer who is currently the most famous in the world.

Imane describes her career as an “impressive story”. It began in the village, continued in the nearby city, then the capital, and later abroad.

Khelif’s participation in the Paris competition is causing controversy because of her disqualification from last year’s World Championships.

The Algerian Olympic Committee defended her, saying her disqualification from last year’s World Championships was part of a plot to stop her from winning a gold medal. According to the Algerians, “medical reasons” underlie Khalifi’s high testosterone levels.

Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting was also disqualified from the World Championships.

“2023 was very difficult for me. It was a heavy blow, but I came back stronger to show my strength and determination, and to show the whole world what a brave woman Imane Khelif is,” she says.