“Shameful!” – Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif ranking third in AP’s top Female Athletes of 2024 list has fans losing their minds

Algeria's Imane Khelif has been at the center of criticism since rumors began swirling around her sexual orientation during the Olympics.

“Shameful!” – Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif ranking third in AP’s top Female Athletes of 2024 list has fans losing their minds

Imane Khelif (Image via AFP)

The Paris Olympics were the highlight of the sporting world in 2024. It was not without its fair share of controversies. The International Olympic Committee faced a lot of criticism over its decision to allow Algerian female boxer Imane Khelif to compete in women’s boxing event.

Imane Khelif went on to win the gold medal but her victory came with an asterisk next to it as fans and her competitors took shots at her over her sexual orientation. Now, Khelif has become the runner-up in the Associated Press Top Female Athletes of 2024 Voting.

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Imane Khelif ranks third in the voting behind Caitlin Clark and Simone Biles. Her win has irked critics who continue to believe she should be stripped of her medal. Recently, an alleged medical report belonging to the Algerian boxer was leaked by French journalist Djaffar Ait Aoudia. The report was drafted in June 2023 by a team of expert endocrinologists led by Soumaya Fedala and Jacques Young.

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The results of Imane Khelif’s alleged medical report infuriated fans

The report claimed that the boxer was born with “testicles” and male genitalia. It further stated that she had no uterus and the presence of testicles in her abdomen. The report also suggested that she was affected by 5-alpha deficiency, a condition that affects males at the time of birth and influences the development of the child’s sexual organs. This added fuel to the fire of speculations surrounding her sexual orientation.

Imane Khelif
Imane Khelif (Image via Open Source)

The International Olympic Committee has stood with Imane Khelif. Despite her competitors refusing to go up against her, they did not entertain the criticisms as the Algerian boxer had cleared all the criteria of the Olympics to compete in the female category. Fans were not happy with AP’s rankings and they took to X to express their dissatisfaction.

Irrespective of public opinion, Imane Khelif remains an Olympic gold medalist. The Associated Press determined the top female athletes of 2024 from the votes collected among a group of 74 sports journalists. WNBA rookie phenom Caitlin Clark received 35 votes and landed in the first place whereas Olympic gold-medalist Simone Biles who created history received 25 votes. Khelif landed in the third place with a total of four votes.