WATCH: Fighter Alleged to Have Male Chromosomes Defeats Third Consecutive Female Boxer, Advances to Gold Medal Round

Imane Khelif, the Algerian Olympic fighter who failed a gender test administered by the International Boxing Association (IBA) in 2023, thoroughly dominated Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng, thus vanquishing yet another female opponent and clinching a trip to the gold medal round.

Khelif dominated all three rounds on Tuesday afternoon, as Suwannapheng struggled mightily to cope with the range disadvantage between her and her far larger opponent. Suwannapheng, a fighter accustomed to closing the distance with her opponent by coming forward, endured several big hits as Khelif fired flurries of rights and lefts to prevent the Thai fighter from getting in close enough to do damage.

In the end, judges awarded all three rounds to Khelif.

Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting have been at the center of controversy at the 2024 Paris Games because they both failed IBA gender tests at the last major women’s international boxing event before the Olympics.

In 2023, the IBA President Umar Kremlev explained his organization’s decision to disqualify Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting and Algeria’s Imane Khelif from competing in the IBA’s 2023 Women’s World Boxing Championships, according to Russia’s Tass News Agency. “Based on DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues into posing as women. According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from competition,” Kremlev said.

Khelif was jubilant after the victory.

Khelif’s previous two victories included an opening bout against Italy’s Angela Carini that lasted all of 46 seconds before the Italian quit the match, citing her Algerian opponent’s “power.”

After the fight, Carini told Italy’s ASNA: “I’m used to suffering. I’ve never taken a punch like that; it’s impossible to continue. I’m nobody to say it’s illegal.

“I got into the ring to fight. But I didn’t feel like it anymore after the first minute. I started to feel a strong pain in my nose. I didn’t give up, but a punch hurt too much and, so I said enough. I’m leaving with my head held high.”

Khelif’s next victim was Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori. The fight went the distance, but the judges gave Khelif a 5-0 comprehensive victory.

International outrage has erupted after each of Khelif’s victories. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) backs the Alegerian and insists that all gender requirements to compete as a female have been met.

“Everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said. “They are women in their passports, and it’s stated that this is the case.”