In the semi-finals of the women’s welterweight boxing tournament at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Imane Khelif of Algeria defeated Janjaem Suwanapheng of Thailand.
The judges awarded her a unanimous decision. After the fight, Khelif jumped into the ring and celebrated her victory.
In the semi-final bout, Khelif defeated Suwanapheng, who was a silver medalist at the 2023 world championships.
The Algerian fans in the stadium cheered and waved their country’s flag as the referee lifted Khelif’s hand after three rounds.
The Algerian fans, who had been chanting “Imane, Imane” throughout the fight, were on their feet as Khelif won the bout.
The crowd also waved their country’s flags. Suwanapheng, who was taller than Khelif, took a standing count during the third round due to her opponent’s superior power.
The fight was held at the Court Philippe Chatrier, which had a capacity of 15,000.
After the bout, both fighters shook hands and greeted each other. Khelif also did a dance in the ring, which caused the crowd to cheer.
It was a different reaction from her post-win celebration, which was triggered by her victory over Hungary’s Luca Anna Hamori.
During the previous Olympics, she and Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting faced off.
In India, both fighters were disqualified from the world championships due to their gender-related issues.
They were eventually allowed to participate in the tournament in Paris.