Algerian boxer Imane Khelif defied a major gender controversy to win gold at the Paris Olympics on Friday as the United States’ star sprinters flew and then flopped on the track.
Khelif, 25, claimed a unanimous points decision win over China’s Yang Liu in the women’s 66kg final for her first Olympic medal.
Khelif expressed immense happiness, stating that becoming an Olympic champion and gold medalist fulfilled a dream she had worked towards for eight years.
She mentioned the dedication and tireless effort over those years, including sleepless nights and exhaustion, which led to achieving his Olympic champion title.
Khelif, along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who fights for gold on Saturday, was disqualified from last year’s world championships after failing gender eligibility testing.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which runs the sport in Paris, however, insists the two fighters were born and raised as women and have passports saying that.
Khelif expressed her gratitude, acknowledging all the supporters who came to cheer her on. She extended her thanks to everyone from Algeria and her base, as well as to her team and coach.
On the track at the Stade de France, US sprint superstar Sha’Carri Richardson made up for her silver in the individual 100m with a gold-winning anchor run in the 4x100m relay.
Richardson turned on the afterburners to overhaul Britain, Germany, and France in the home straight as the US quartet took gold in a season’s best time of 41.78sec.
“The moment that I will describe is realizing that when we won, the USA ladies, it was a phenomenal feeling for all of us,” said Richardson.
But the US men again failed in their bid to win their first 4x100m gold since Sydney in 2000 with a disastrous baton fumble.
Already missing 100m individual champion Noah Lyles due to COVID-19, a botched baton change completely slowed the US momentum, allowing Canada to snatch gold ahead of South Africa and Britain.
“You can never count us out; we feel great,” said Canadian runner Aaron Brown.
Historic Treble
Meanwhile, a nail-biting women’s heptathlon saw Nafissatou Thiam become the first woman in history to win three consecutive Olympic golds, sealing victory ahead of Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
Thiam, the 2016 and 2020 Olympic champion, finished with 6,880 points after the 800m, the final event in the seven-discipline test of endurance.
Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet won the women’s 10,000m gold to add to her 5,000m title, as defending champion Sifan Hassan finished third.
American Rai Benjamin outstripped Norwegian arch-rival and defending champion Karsten Warholm to win the 400m hurdles.
Spain’s Jordan Diaz won gold in the men’s triple jump, leading a podium consisting of three Cuban-born men.
Spain Win Football Gold
Substitute Sergio Camello struck twice in extra time to settle a remarkable men’s football final as Spain beat France 5-3.
It had looked as though Spain were going to run away with victory when they recovered from conceding an early goal to lead 3-1 by halftime.
However, France staged a memorable comeback, with Jean-Philippe Mateta converting a stoppage-time penalty awarded following a VAR review.
That took the final into extra time, where Camello emerged as the hero by giving Spain the lead again in the 100th minute of an absorbing game and then running away to seal their victory at the death.
“Coaches don’t go up onto the podium. That is for the players. They did this. They fought like a family,” said Spain coach Santi Denia.
China maintained its diving dominance, securing their seventh title of the Games, as Chen Yiwen clinched women’s 3m springboard gold.
The Chinese can secure the clean sweep with victory in Saturday’s 10m men’s platform.
This dominance was also in table tennis, as Ma Long, the Chinese flag bearer at the opening ceremony, led China to team gold over Sweden, the sixth title of his career.
The Netherlands completed a remarkable double in Olympic hockey when their women’s team, the defending champions, beat China 3-1 in a shootout to take gold just 24 hours after the men’s side had triumphed over Germany.
Lydia Ko will head into the final day of the women’s golf tournament tied for the lead with Swiss surprise package Morgane Metraux.
The United States routed Australia 85-64 to reach the women’s basketball final, putting themselves one victory away from an unprecedented eighth straight gold.
After their 60th consecutive Olympic game win, the United States will face hosts France in the final.
Japan’s B-Girl Ami won the inaugural women’s breaking gold.
With AFP
