Imane Khelif won her first gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Aug. 9

Imane Khelif is an Olympic gold medalist!

The Algerian boxer was victorious in her final match at the 2024 Paris Olympics, defeating China's Yang Liu on Aug. 9 after several bouts where she ultimately came out the winner.

Khelif's first match took place in the North Paris Arena on Aug. 1, a few days after the men's and women's boxing events kicked off at the Summer Games on July 27. The sport consists of 13 events that are broken down based on gender and weight class.

The Algerian athlete competed in the women's 66kg light welterweight division against Italy’s Angela Carini. It ended unexpectedly when Carini bowed out after being hit 46 seconds into the match, marking Kehlif's first win.

Related: Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif, Who Faced Issues Over Gender Test, Wins Olympic Fight After Opponent Drops Out

The 25-year-old Carini exchanged punches with the Algerian boxer and then burst into tears and fell to her knees, according to the Associated Press and Reuters. Afterward, the Italian boxer said "severe pain in my nose" was the reason she dropped out, per the outlets.

Internet commenters began criticizing Khelif's participation in the Olympic match, noting that she had previously failed an unspecified gender eligibility test during the 2023 boxing world championships.

However, Mark Adams, the chief spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee, spoke out about the widespread "misinformation" at a news conference on Aug. 2, per the New York Times, saying Khelif is an eligible athlete and stressing that Khelif is not transgender.

Read on for what to know about Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Imane is a pro boxer from Algeria

Imane Khelif was born in Algeria on May 2, 1999. She began boxing in Tiaret, a sport she decided to pursue after watching matches at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

According to her Olympic bio, Khelif "fell in love" with boxing on her first day of training. However, her path to becoming pro wasn't easy.

To put in the work, Khelif had to travel miles by bus "from her small village to the gym" her bio says, and her mom sold couscous and scrap metal for recycling to afford the transportation fares.

Khelif's hero? Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, the iconic sports figure widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time, her bio states.

Related: Olympic Champion Caster Semenya Wins Legal Battle Over Discriminatory Testing of Her Testosterone Levels

Imane competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Khelif made her Olympics debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games (which were held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). She reached the quarterfinals in the lightweight (60kg) division that year, but lost 5-0 to eventual champion Kellie Harrington of Ireland.

Imane was disqualified from 2023 World Championships

Khelif has medaled at major boxing tournaments all over the world, though she has not attracted international attention until recently.

The Algerian boxer secured a silver medal in the light welterweight (63kg) division at the 2022 World Championships. The victory made her the country's first female boxer to win a world championship medal.

That same year, Khelif won gold in the light welterweight (63kg) division at the 2022 African Championships and again at the 2022 Mediterranean Games.

Khelif was disqualified during the 2023 boxing world championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test, per the Associated Press. The International Boxing Association (IBA) claimed that the results showed elevated levels of testosterone.

However, the test results were not transparent, and the IBA has since been suspended from being part of the IOC due to questions about corruption and judging issues, according to ESPN.

Related: The Greatest Summer Olympians of All Time

Imane's competitor, Angela Carini, pulled out during their match in the 2024 Paris Olympics

Khelif's first match at the 2024 Paris Olympics took place on Aug. 1 against Italy's Angela Carini. The Algerian was named the winner after her opponent unexpectedly dropped out 46 seconds into the match.

Following the match, internet speculation from some commenters about Khelif's gender grew louder, citing the boxing world championships disqualification.

However, by the IOC's standards, Khelif is an eligible female boxer.

"Khelif was assigned female at birth and it says so on her passport, which is the International Olympic Committee’s threshold for eligibility for boxing," according to AP.

Mark Adams, the chief spokesman for the I.O.C., acknowledged the debated topic in a press conference on Aug. 2 the day after Khelif and Carini's match. "There has been some confusion that somehow it’s a man fighting a woman,” he said, per the NYT.

"The question you have to ask yourself is, are these athletes women?” Adams continued. “The answer is yes,” according to their medical history and gender assigned at birth and on their passport.

Carini later spoke out on the controversy, saying that it “makes me sad” and that she was worried about the focus on Khelif, per AP. “I’m sorry for my opponent, too. … If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”

She added that she regretted not shaking Khelif's hand after the match. "I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke. I don’t have anything against Khelif. Actually, if I were to meet her again I would embrace her.”

Imane won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics

On Aug. 9, Imane won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics after a victorious match against China's Yang Liu. Following her win, Khelif spoke during a press conference about becoming a medalist.

"IMANE KHELIF GOLD MEDAL ! Algerian women continue to make us proud #Olympics #Paris2024," the Algeria FC account posted on X (formerly Twitter) following Khelif's achievement. In a second post, they added: "🇩🇿🥇 To all the haters all around the world .. Imene Khelif says 🤫"

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.