Algerian boxer Imane Khelif said her dreams had come true after she defeated China's Yang Liu to capture Olympic gold in the women's 66kg division on Friday night.
Khelif, who has seen her campaign in Paris overshadowed by a gender controversy fuelled by rampant misinformation, defied her critics as she comprehensively out-boxed Yang to earn a richly-deserved unanimous decision in front of thousands of noisy Algerian fans at Roland Garros.
Khelif, who only started boxing eight years ago, scored again and again with her jab and backed it up with her signature straight right hand as she swept all three rounds 5-0 for the biggest win of her career.
"I'm very happy. For eight years this has been my dream and I'm now the Olympic champion and gold medallist," said Khelif, 25. "I've worked for eight years, no sleep, eight years tired. Now I'm Olympic champion.
"I want to thank all the people who have come to support me. All the people from Algeria and all the people at my base. I want to thank all the team, my coach. Thank you so much."
After her win, Khelif jumped into the arms of her coaches, one of them hoisting her up on his shoulders and carrying her around the arena in a victory lap as she pumped her fists and waved an Algerian flag while fans chanted: "Imane, Imane..."
The outpouring of emotion was entirely understandable given the extreme level of scrutiny she had been under amid a scarcely-believable media frenzy stoked up by the spurious statements of major public figures such as Donald Trump, Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling.
The controversy erupted after her first-round victory over Angela Carini. The Italian, who would later apologise for her part in sparking the subsequent uproar, abandoned the bout after 46 seconds and wept in the ring. Soon social media was ablaze with false claims Khelif was transgender.
Khelif, who was born a woman, has lived as a woman, is a woman on her passport, and has boxed in female competitions – including the Tokyo Olympics – for many years, was banned in 2023 by the International Boxing Association (IBA). They claimed she had failed gender eligibility tests. Despite numerous requests, the IBA has never provided any proof of this.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), who banished the scandal-hit IBA from the Games, reinstated Khelif – along with Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting – and has steadfastly backed the Algerian pugilist.
IOC president Thomas Bach said prior to Friday's gold-medal bout: “This is not a question of inclusion, this has never played a role in all this, this is a question of justice: women must be allowed to take part in women’s competitions. And the two are women."
Despite the unsavoury prelude, Khelif was able to enjoy her moment of glory. She was applauded by all three of her fellow medallists on the podium and there were tears in her eyes as the Algerian national anthem was played.
Taiwan's Lin, the second boxer to have had her eligibility questioned, fights Poland's Julia Szeremeta in the women's featherweight final on Saturday.