PA Media/dpa
London
Imane Khelif is refusing to be intimidated by United States President Donald Trump as she looks forward to defending her Olympic title in Los Angeles.
The 25-year-old Algerian boxer, who won gold amid controversy at the Paris Olympics last year, has signalled her intention to repeat the feat in 2028 after Trump wrongly claimed she had transitioned from a man.
Speaking to ITV News in an interview to be broadcast on Wednesday evening, Khelif said: “I will give you a straightforward answer: the US President issued a decision related to transgender policies in America. I am not transgender. This does not concern me, and it does not intimidate me. That is my response.”
Khelif’s triumph in Paris, along with that of Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu Ting, sparked a gender eligibility debate to which high-profile figures such as Trump, tech billionaire Elon Musk and Harry Potter author JK Rowling contributed.
She revealed she was “deeply affected mentally” by the “major media campaign” surrounding her, and said her mother was attending hospital almost daily as her family shared the brunt of the attacks.
She added: “I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one.”
