Olympics 2024 gender row boxer Imane Khelif set to turn pro after winning gold in Paris

Imane Khelif has announced a huge career move and the release of a new documentary months after winning gold at the Paris Olympics.

Gold medal Olympian Imane Khelif is set to become a professional boxer.

Khelif, 25, won the top prize in the women’s welterweight boxing category in Paris in the summer.

However, what should have been a joyous run as she lifted Algeria’s first-ever gold medal in the event was tarnished by a gender row.

After Italy’s Angela Carini quit their tournament opener after 46 seconds, unsubstantiated claims she was born a male spread like wildfire on social media.

Names with huge followings including Elon Musk, JK Rowling and Donald Trump all piled into the conversation, with Khelif slamming subsequent attacks against her and her family as “cruel”.

This prompted her to file a lawsuit against Musk’s X platform for facilitating online harassment towards her.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune presents an award to Algerian Olympic boxing gold medallist Imane Khelif at the Palais d'El Mouradia. (Photo by ALGERIAN PRESIDENCY FACEBOOK PAGE / AFP)

But following her success at the Paris Games, Khelif is now taking the next step in her already record-breaking boxing career.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, she said: “I would like to hold a press conference today to share with you my success story with the media family and young women who watch me.

“There is a documentary being prepared about my success story and it will be shown on international platforms.

“I will soon enter the world of professional boxing, I have many offers.

“Currently, I have not made up my mind about where I will enter professional boxing.

“But very soon I will take this step, we as Algerians would like to see our level in the field of professionalism.”

A recent video of Khelif on Instagram, which you can watch above, showed her in training with the caption: “Before the spotlight, it’s all about the mindset. Focused, locked in, ready for gold.”

Earlier this month the WBO were forced to deny “obviously false” reports that they had banned Khelif and stripped her of her Paris medal for failing gender eligibility tests.

Imane Khelif poses on the podium during the medal ceremony for the women's 66kg final boxing category. (Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP)

The WBO’s legal counsel Gustavo Olivieri said in a statement the body had “not tested, nor had it banned,” Khelif and had had no communication with her.

With Khelif still being an amateur, the WBO would have no jurisdiction or power to strip her medal.

A year prior to the Olympics, Khelif was disqualified from the Women’s World Championships for failing the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) gender eligibility rules.

But the Russian-led body was stripped of its governance by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over integrity and governance issues.

The IBA’s tests result and credibility was also called into question.

- This article first appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission