CNN
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Algerian boxer Imane Khelif defeated her Chinese opponent Yang Liu in a fight for the gold medal in the under 66 kg class at the Summer Olympics in Paris on Friday.

Khelif received a warm welcome from the crowd as she entered the ring at Roland Garros for her fourth match of the Games, with Algerian flags flying throughout the arena.

In the first round, both fighters started hesitantly, but Khelif was better than her left-hander and won the round by unanimous decision.

The second round was a similar story, with a hard punch from the Algerian Yang bouncing off the ropes in the opening seconds. Amid wild roars from the pro-Khelif fans, she punished her opponent with a barrage of punches, earning another winning round on all judges’ scorecards.

With a large lead on the scorecards, Khelif continued to put pressure on Yang in the third and final round. The Chinese fighter continued to press forward but was unable to break through Khelif’s defense.

“I am very happy. For eight years this was my dream and now I am an Olympic champion and gold medalist,” she said after the fight. “I worked for eight years, didn’t sleep, was tired for eight years. Now I am an Olympic champion.” I want to thank all the people who came to support me. All the people from Algeria and all the people in my base. I want to thank the whole team and my coach. Thank you very much.”

After the final bell rang, the fighters hugged each other as a sign of their respect and sportsmanship.

The crowd cheered loudly when it was announced that Khelif had won the gold medal on points by unanimous decision.

Khelif performed her signature victory dance in the ring and posed for photographers before being carried out of the ring on the shoulders of one of her trainers.

Khelif had attracted worldwide attention after defeating Italian boxer Angela Carini in a preliminary fight in just 46 seconds.

The fight sparked a torrent of abuse online, with transphobic commentators falsely referring to Khelif as a “man” for failing a so-called “gender test” administered by a now-discredited boxing federation, which was stripped of its authority to host the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) assumed jurisdiction over the 2024 Games because it ruled that no international federation was qualified to host the sport, and repeatedly stressed that Khelif met the criteria to participate.

IOC President Thomas Bach was asked on Friday whether the organization was putting inclusion ahead of safety by allowing Khelif and Lin to participate.

“It’s not as simple as some people in this culture war want to make it out to be,” Bach replied. “These two are women, and they have the right to participate in the women’s competition. And that has nothing to do with inclusion.”

Speaking in Arabic to SNTV, the Associated Press’ sports video partner, earlier this week, Khelif urged people to “uphold the Olympic principles according to the Olympic Charter and refrain from bullying athletes because this issue has implications, and massive implications.”

“It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind,” she said, adding that it was not easy to get through what followed her match with Carini.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams defended Khelif’s participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics at a press conference after the Carini fight, saying Khelif was “born a woman, registered as a woman, lived her life as a woman, boxed as a woman and holds a woman’s passport.”

The IOC confirmed at the time that the fight was not a “man against a woman” and that “there is scientific consensus on this.”

Khelif is not the only boxer to gain extra attention through her presence in Paris. Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting is also in the spotlight after years as an amateur.

Lin will compete for the women’s 57 kg gold medal on Saturday.