Imane Khelif has made her country, coaches, and fans proud after winning gold at yesterday’s boxing Olympics final in Paris.
Many were rooting for the star while others still weren’t over the fact that she was actually a female and therefore deserved the right to compete, let alone win.
Now, new reports are speaking about Khelif’s very troubled past and how life was never easy for the talented boxer.
At a very young age, she was forced to work on the streets to pursue her dreams. This includes selling bread because that’s how poor her family was. But she never lost hope and did everything to make sure she had the funds to travel and receive boxing training.
Coming from a very conservative family meant making people understand that females also take part in boxing was her biggest hurdle. She struggled and was criticized all of her life, yet she never looked back.
She collected dishes and other objects so she could make more money but never got the support she needed to make her dreams come true.
The entire gender row debate arose when her Italian competitor refused to fight, claiming Imane was a trans, and hence broke down into tears. That led to social media backlash and the entire Olympics being under fire for allowing a trans into the women’s championship.
For days, the star was bullied and faced serious criticism including the IBA chief asking her to submit proof of being a woman. Today, she stands tall and proud and vows to put all the bullying behind her.