"Victory for all women"

Khelif: Emotional interview after winning a medal

Imane Khelif celebrated an emotional victory at the Olympic Games in Paris.(Bild: AP/John Locher, Screenshot beIN SPORTS)

After her success in the welterweight quarter-finals against Anna Luca Hamori from Hungary, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif already has a medal in the bag. It was a "victory for all women", rejoiced the most controversial Olympic participant in an emotional interview.

Khelif was loudly cheered on by numerous Algerian fans in the boxing hall in the north of Paris on Saturday evening. At the end of the fight, she hit the ring floor with all her might, saluted and then fought back tears.

Imane Khelif (left) prevailed against Anna Luca Hamori.(Bild: AP/John Locher)

"I am very proud to win a medal for my country here in Paris. I've worked very hard to be here," she told "beIN SPORTS", describing her emotional state. Emotional follow-up: "This is a victory for all women!"

Historic medal
This was Khelif's first comment on the controversy surrounding her. Her admission to the Olympics had recently led to a heated gender debate in Olympic women's boxing.

"I am a woman", she is said to have shouted to an Algerian journalist after her fight, according to the Telegraph. Khelif also shed numerous tears in the dressing rooms. This is Algeria's first ever boxing medal at the Olympics.