Boxer Imane Khelif advances to gold-medal bout with another victory amid gender misconceptions

PARIS (AP) — Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria advanced to the gold-medal bout in the women’s welterweight division at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday night, moving one win away from what she calls the best response to the worldwide scrutiny she has faced over misconceptions about her gender.

With one more victory, Khelif would win Algeria’s second boxing gold medal and its first in women's boxing.

Khelif defeated Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand 5:0 in the semifinals at Roland Garros, where the crowd roared for her and chanted her name repeatedly during her three-round fight. Khelif has won three consecutive bouts in Paris, and she will win either a gold or a silver medal when she completes the tournament on Friday against Yang Liu of China.

Khelif has thrived inside the ring in Paris amid criticism and stigmatization outside of it. The trouble has stemmed from the Olympic-banished International Boxing Association’s decision to disqualify her and fellow Paris medalist Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei from the world championships last year for allegedly failing an eligibility test.

The controversy has become one of the biggest stories of the Paris Olympics, but it isn't causing any negative effects on her performances in the ring.

“I don’t care about that,” Khelif said through an interpreter. “I wish to be ready and show a good standard, show my talent, because I want to entertain everyone.”

Khelif had already clinched Algeria’s first medal in women’s boxing before she stepped into the ring to rousing roars at Court Philippe Chatrier. She then controlled her bout with Suwannapheng, who took a standing 8-count late in the third after absorbing a series of punches.

“I had heard about the news regarding her, but I wasn’t following it closely,” Suwannapheng said. “She is a woman, but she is very strong.”

Khelif has won every round on every judge's card in her two fights that have gone the distance in Paris. She has made the most important tournament run of her international career while under the most pressure she has ever faced.

“I am very happy,” Khelif said. “I’ve worked eight years for these Olympics, and I’m very proud of this moment. I would like to thank the support from people back home.”

The ending of Khelif’s first bout in Paris propelled her into the center of a worldwide divide over gender identity and safety regulations in sports. Her first opponent, Angela Carini of Italy, tearfully quit after just 46 seconds, saying she was in too much pain from Khelif’s punches.

Carini’s abandonment of the fight led to comments from the likes of former U.S. President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” writer J.K. Rowling and others falsely claiming Khelif was a man or transgender. Carini later apologized for her decision.

In an interview Sunday with SNTV, a sports video partner of The Associated Press, Khelif said the wave of hateful scrutiny she is facing “harms human dignity” and called for an end to bullying athletes.

Khelif also said she felt the “best response” to the uproar around her would be to win a gold medal — and now she's one win away.

After sharing a hug with Suwannapheng and holding open the ropes for her opponent in a traditional boxing gesture of sportsmanship, Khelif celebrated by running furiously in place while pumping her fists as the crowd roared for her again. The celebration was more joyous than her cathartic finish to her quarterfinal victory over Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori, when she slammed her palm on the canvas as she teared up.

Khelif received her post-fight medical check and was headed out of the Roland Garros arena when she was mobbed by fans near the exit. They hugged Khelif, demanded selfies and waved Algerian flags while she made her way backstage.

Khelif received cheers that echoed through the famed tennis arena from the moment she entered to face Suwannapheng. Roland Garros welcomed a prominent turnout from Algerian fans voicing their national pride in a boxer whose negative spotlight has been taken quite personally in her country.

Both fighters came out aggressively, trading punches from distance. Khelif was more accurate while winning the first round on all five cards, and she repeated the performance in the second.

The fight got more physical in the third, with Suwannapheng pushing forward to make a comeback. The bout was stopped for a standing 8-count late in the third when Suwannapheng absorbed a few head punches in succession, although Suwannapheng appeared to shrug as if it wasn't necessary — as is often the case in Olympic boxing, where referees can stop a bout for relatively minor reasons.

“I tried to use my speed, but my opponent was just too strong," Suwannapheng said.

The 25-year-old Khelif is on the best run of her amateur career at the Olympics. She has performed solidly at the international level and even won some regional tournaments, but Khelif has never been a dominant fighter on the world stage until her two strong performances — and 46 seconds of easy work against a third — to reach the final in Paris.

The IOC and its president, Thomas Bach, have repeatedly defended the Olympic eligibility of Khelif and Lin while condemning the IBA as incompetent and biased.

Khelif and Lin were disqualified by the IBA in the middle of last year’s world championships over what it claimed were failed eligibility tests for the women’s competition. The IBA has been banished from the Olympics since before the Tokyo Games, and the body struggled to articulate the reasoning for its decisions on Khelif and Lin at a news conference Monday.

Lin also has clinched a medal and advanced to the Olympic semifinals. She fights Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey on Wednesday night.

Algeria’s Olympic team has reacted forcefully to the criticism and negative attention around Khelif, and the fan turnout in Roland Garros reflected the seriousness with which the accusations have been received in her home country and in its French diaspora.

Chinese Taipei has reacted with equal condemnation of the IBA’s claims and the worldwide swirl of scrutiny. Sports officials on Tuesday said they are considering legal action against the IBA after sending a letter protesting “the International Boxing Association’s continued publication of false information, obscuring the facts, and attempting to interfere with the normal conduct of the event regardless of the rights and interests of athletes.”

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand, left, looks on after Match Referee Shawn Reese raises the arm of Imane Khelif of Algeria to announce the winner of their women's 66kg semifinal boxing match, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (Richard Pelham/Pool Photo via AP)

Algeria's Imane Khelif defeats Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng, left, in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng, left, fights Algeria's Imane Khelif in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng, right, fights Algeria's Imane Khelif in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Algeria's Imane Khelif celebrates after defeating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Algeria's Imane Khelif celebrates after defeating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Algeria's Imane Khelif reacts after defeating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Algeria's Imane Khelif reacts after defeating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Algeria's Imane Khelif gestures after defeating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Algeria's Imane Khelif celebrates after defeating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng in their women's 66 kg semifinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Algeria's Imane Khelif hits Hungary's Anna Hamori in their women's 66kg quarterfinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif poses for a photo after an interview with SNTV at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is announcing a plan to give Black men more economic opportunities and other chances to thrive as she works to energize a key voting bloc that has Democrats concerned about a lack of enthusiasm.

Harris' plan includes providing forgivable business loans for Black entrepreneurs, creating more apprenticeships and studying sickle cell and other diseases that disproportionately affect African American men.

Harris already has said she supports legalizing marijuana and her plan calls for working to ensure that Black men have opportunities to participate as a “national cannabis industry takes shape.” She also is calling for better regulating cryptocurrency to protect Black men and others who invest in digital assets.

The vice president's so-called “opportunity agenda for Black men” is meant to invigorate African American males at a moment when there are fears some may sit out the election rather than vote for Harris or her opponent, Republican former President Donald Trump.

The vice president unveiled the plan Monday, ahead of an evening campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she was to appear with Democratic Sen. John Fetterman. Her push comes after former President Barack Obama suggested last week that some Black men “aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president.”

The Harris campaign also has been working to increase support among other male voting blocs, including Hispanics, by founding the group “Hombres con Harris,” Spanish for “Men with Harris.” The latest policy rollout is notable because it comes with the stated purpose of motivating Black men to vote mere weeks before Election Day.

As her campaign has done with the “Hombres” group, Harris’ team plans to organize gender-specific gatherings. Those include “Black Men Huddle Up” events in battleground states featuring African American male celebrities for things like watch parties for NFL and NCAA football games. The campaign says it also plans new testimonial ads in battleground states that feature local Black male voices.

Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Harris campaign and a former Louisiana congressman who is Black, said Harris wants to build an economy "where Black men are equipped with the tools to thrive: to buy a home, provide for our families, start a business and build wealth.”

Black Americans strongly supported Joe Biden when he beat Trump in 2020. Harris advisers say they are less worried about losing large percentages of Black male support to the former president than that some will choose not to turn out at all.

Trump, too, has stepped up efforts to win over Black and Hispanic voters of both genders. He has held roundtables with Black entrepreneurs in swing states and will sit for a townhall sponsored by Spanish-language Univision this week. He also has sought to openly stoke racial divisions, repeatedly suggesting that immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally are taking jobs from Black and Hispanic Americans.

Harris' new round of proposals includes a promise that, if elected, she will help distribute 1 million loans of up to $20,000 that can be fully forgivable to Black entrepreneurs and others who have strong ideas to start businesses. The loans would come via new partnerships between the Small Business Administration and community leaders and banks “with a proven commitment to their communities,” her campaign says.

The vice president also wants to offer federal incentives to encourage more African American men to train to be teachers, citing statistics that Black males made up only a bit more than 1% of the nation's public school teaching ranks in 2020-21, according to data from the National Teacher and Principal Survey.

Harris also is pledging to expand existing federal programs that forgive some educational loans for public service to further encourage more Black male teachers. She also wants to use organizations like the National Urban League, local governments and the private sector to expand apprenticeships and credentialing opportunities in Black communities.

The vice president's advisers have been urging her to talk more about cryptocurrency as a way to appeal to male voters. Her campaign said that as president, Harris will back a regulatory framework meant to better protect investors in cryptocurrency and other digital assets, which are popular with Black men.

Harris also promised to create a national initiative to better fund efforts to detect, research and combat sickle cell disease, diabetes, prostate cancer, mental health challenges and other health issues that disproportionately affect Black men.

A recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found about 7 in 10 Black voters had a favorable view of Harris and preferred her leadership to that of Trump on major policy issues including the economy, health care, abortion, immigration and the war between Israel and Hamas. There was little difference in support for Harris between Black men and Black women.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at East Carolina University, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Greenville, N.C. (AP Photo/David Yeazell)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)