Imane Khelif earned a large sum after winning an Olympic gold medal, but her victory has raised gender controversy.
Imane Khelif became only the second Algerian medalist
The 24-year-old boxer is a talented athlete in boxing who has made headlines for her incredible performance at the 2024 Olympics.
She has also drawn attention due to discussions surrounding her gender.
After winning the gold medal, she earned a significant amount of money that has drawn attention from fans and critics.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won the gold medal in the women’s welterweight division at the 2024 Olympics.
This achievement made her become only the second Algerian athlete to ever win Olympic gold.
Imane Khelif’s appearance at the Paris Olympics caused heated debate
However, her participation was affected by controversy after she failed a ‘gender eligibility test‘ by the discredited International Boxing Association (IBA).
The IBA faced allegations of corruption and ties to Russian interests.
Despite facing harassment and online abuse from social media, Khelif persevered and secured the victory.
The highly anticipated match between Imane Khelif and Italy’s Angela Carini in the Olympics ended unexpectedly.
Carini, after raising her hand and having her head guard checked, threw just a single punch before abruptly walking out of the ring.
The match was over in a mere 46 seconds, with Carini quitting after being struck twice in the face by Khelif.
After the 46-second fight, Carini spoke out about her unusual reason.
“To be honest, I put an end to the match because after the second blow, after years of experience in the ring and a life of fighting, I felt a strong pain in my nose,” Carini recounted.
“I went into the ring to fight. I didn’t give up, but a punch hurt too much so that’s enough,” she concluded.
Imane Khelif earns staggering sum after winning Olympic gold medal
In the final fight, Khelif defeated China’s Yang Liu in the women’s welterweight final to claim the gold medal.
Her victory made Khelif only the second Algerian athlete in history to win Olympic gold.
Khelif will receive a cash prize of over $100,000 for her gold medal win.
The exact amount is $100,209, with Khelif set to keep half of it.
The other half will be divided between her coach and the Algerian boxing federation.
In contrast, Yang Liu, who took home the silver medal, will receive just under $50,000 in prize money.
“I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman, I lived a woman, I competed as a woman, there’s no doubt about that,” Khelif defiantly told reporters after her triumph.
“Detractors are enemies of success, and that also gives my success a special taste because of these attacks.”
Khelif’s payout is not the highest for an Olympic gold medal.
Some countries, like Singapore and Kazakhstan, offer their champions very large sums.
Gold medalists in these countries can earn up to $750,000.
Even a “modest” $100,000 prize can greatly impact an athlete’s life.
This is especially true for developing nations like Algeria, which have limited resources and opportunities.
The controversy surrounding Khelif’s participation in the Olympics, however, remains a complex and sensitive issue.