Controversial Olympian Imane Khelif has beaten Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori in the women’s 66kg quarter-final and is now guaranteed a medal.
Khelif earned a spot in the final eight after her previous opponent Angela Carini abandoned their last 16 fight after 46 seconds.
Carini revealed she had never been hit harder – sparking controversy and a gender eligibility storm.
Khelif was disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championships for failing to meet eligibility criteria.
The International Olympic Committee said she was disqualified after failing a testosterone level test.
But she was cleared to fight in the Olympics with IOC President Thomas Bach defending her inclusion, saying: “We are talking about women’s boxing.
“We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who were raised as women, who have passport as woman who have competed for many years as women. This is the clear definition of a woman.”
Khelif also had the backing of raucous Algeria fans inside a packed-out North Paris Arena, and repaid their support with a resounding win over Hamori.
She showed her power from the outset and made good use of her jab to score points and keep Hamori at bay.
But one blow she landed was met with a points deduction from the referee as she hit the back of her opponent’s head.
