Imane Khelif's Olympic Gold Inspires Algerian Girls to Take Up Boxing

FILE - Girls train at Ahmed Qayed school, where Olympic boxer Imane Khelif trained as a youngster, in Tiaret, Algeria, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Anis Belghoul, File)
FILE - Girls train at Ahmed Qayed school, where Olympic boxer Imane Khelif trained as a youngster, in Tiaret, Algeria, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Anis Belghoul, File)
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Imane Khelif's Olympic Gold Inspires Algerian Girls to Take Up Boxing

FILE - Girls train at Ahmed Qayed school, where Olympic boxer Imane Khelif trained as a youngster, in Tiaret, Algeria, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Anis Belghoul, File)
FILE - Girls train at Ahmed Qayed school, where Olympic boxer Imane Khelif trained as a youngster, in Tiaret, Algeria, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Anis Belghoul, File)

In the weeks since Algeria's Imane Khelif won an Olympic gold medal in women's boxing, athletes and coaches in the North African nation say national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women.
Khelif's image is practically everywhere, featured in advertisements at airports, on highway billboards and in boxing gyms, The Associated Press reported. The 25-year-old welterweight's success in Paris has vaulted her to national hero status, especially after Algerians rallied behind her in the face of uninformed speculation about her gender and eligibility to compete.
Amateur boxer Zougar Amina, a medical student who's been practicing for a year, called Khelif an idol and role model.
“Since I’ve been boxing, my personality has changed: I’m more confident, less stressed," she said, describing the sport as “therapy to fight shyness, to learn to defend myself, to gain self-confidence.”
In Ain Taya, the seaside town east of Algiers where Amina boxes, what local media have termed “Khelifmania” is on full display.
Behind a door wallpapered with a large photograph of the gold medalist, punching bags hang from the ceiling of the local gym, and young girls warm up near a boxing ring surrounded by shelves of masks, gloves and mouth guards.
The 23 young women and girls who train at the gym — an old converted church — all dream of becoming the next Khelif, their coach Malika Abassi said.
Abassi said the women imitate Khelif's post-win celebrations, hopping around the boxing ring and saluting fans. She's worried that the interest in boxing will grow so rapidly that her gym won't be able to handle it.
“We’re getting calls from parents wanting to sign up their daughters," she said. "I’m the only coach and our gym is small.”
Algerians from all walks of life flocked to squares in the country's major cities to watch Khelif's matches broadcast on projectors. Noureddine Bouteldja, a former amateur boxer and sports journalist, said Khelif has transcended boxing and become a “social phenomenon” throughout Algeria thanks to her personal story and the scrutiny she faced from famous people around the world who — unlike Algerians — saw her advancing in the Olympics as part of the culture war over sex, gender and sport.
Algerians rallied behind Khelif in the face of criticism from Donald Trump, Elon Musk, J.K. Rowling and others who falsely claimed she was transgender. They largely interpreted attacks on her as attacks on their nation itself. And unlike much of the international community that coalesced behind Khelif, on social media most couldn't register the thought of a transgender athlete from Algeria.
“It’s the victory of a woman who has shown extraordinary resilience and phenomenal strength of character in the face of the campaign to denigrate her gender," Bouteldja said.
Boxing coaches and administrators said Khelif's rise from a poor child in rural central Algeria to worldwide fame has made her an inspirational figure. Mourad Meziane, head of the Algerian Boxing League, expects a huge spike in registration among young women at the start of this school year in mid-September.
Algeria currently has 30 regional boxing leagues and 10,000 athletes participating nationwide, he said.
“The impact is inevitable and will only be very positive for women’s boxing in Algeria," Meziane said.



Sinner Eyes Back-to-Back Australian Open Titles against Zverev

 Italy's Jannik Sinner waves to the crowd after beating USA's Ben Shelton in their men's singles semi-final match on day thirteen of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24, 2025. (AFP)
Italy's Jannik Sinner waves to the crowd after beating USA's Ben Shelton in their men's singles semi-final match on day thirteen of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Sinner Eyes Back-to-Back Australian Open Titles against Zverev

 Italy's Jannik Sinner waves to the crowd after beating USA's Ben Shelton in their men's singles semi-final match on day thirteen of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24, 2025. (AFP)
Italy's Jannik Sinner waves to the crowd after beating USA's Ben Shelton in their men's singles semi-final match on day thirteen of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24, 2025. (AFP)

Defending champion Jannik Sinner will look to seal back-to-back Australian Open titles and deny second seed Alexander Zverev a maiden Grand Slam crown in the men's final on Sunday.

Also on Sunday, the women's doubles final sees top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend face Taiwan's Hsieh Su-Wei and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko.

A year after overhauling Daniil Medvedev in five sets in the 2024 final, Jannik Sinner will be favorite to win Sunday's decider and become the first man to retain the title since Novak Djokovic's "three-peat" from 2019-21.

Top seed Sinner would become the 11th man to go back-to-back in the professional era, joining the likes of Roger Federer (2006-07, 2017-18) and Andre Agassi (2000-01).

Having won the US Open last year, Sinner could also become the first Italian to win three Grand Slam titles, moving past his tie with Nicola Pietrangeli, a back-to-back winner of the men's singles at Roland Garros (1959-60).

Sinner arrives in the final in top form, having won his last 20 matches.

He thrashed Australian number one Alex De Minaur in the quarter-finals and also beat rising American talent Ben Shelton in straight sets in the semis.

Physically, though, it has not all been smooth sailing for the 23-year-old, who suffered cramps against Shelton and had dizzy spells on a hot day during his four-set win over Holger Rune in the fourth round.

With a maximum 27 degrees Celsius (80 F) forecast on Sunday, Sinner may be relieved that the match is scheduled in the evening cool.

His run to the final has come while a long-standing doping case stemming from failed drug tests last March hangs over his head.

Though cleared to play by tennis's integrity authority, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is seeking a ban of up to two years for the Italian at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The hearing is set for April.

Sinner has so far proved impervious to external distractions, though, and the extra weight of being defending champion.

"I'm trying to take the things away in my head, the pressure," he said. "Even if it's easy to say, but difficult to do.

"I will try to do that and also enjoy these moments. We won six very, very tough matches."

ZVEREV CHASING LONG-AWAITED GRAND SLAM BREAKTHROUGH

As a teenage up-and-comer, Zverev once generated the same level of excitement that Sinner enjoyed before his maiden Grand Slam title win at Melbourne Park in 2024.

However, predictions of major trophies have not come to pass for the 27-year-old German despite a couple of near-misses.

He was overhauled by Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final last year when he was two sets-to-one ahead and also surrendered a two-set lead to fall to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open decider.

Despite wielding a huge serve, one of the game's most potent backhands and decent court movement for a 6 ft-6 in (1.98m) man, Zverev is vulnerable to wilting under pressure and has struggled to shrug off perceptions of mental fragility.

Once shut down at the Grand Slams by Djokovic, Federer and Rafa Nadal, the younger generation led by Sinner and Alcaraz has more recently emerged to thwart Zverev's ambitions.

Chastened by his French Open final loss to Alcaraz last year where he tired late in the match, Zverev re-hired trainer Jez Green to build staying power for five-set matches.

He comes into Sunday's final relatively fresh after Djokovic retired injured after one set of their semi-final.

Zverev also holds a 4-2 winning record over Sinner which includes hardcourt victories at the 2021 and 2023 US Open tournaments.

But Sinner won their last match on hardcourt at Cincinnati last year when he was virtually untouchable.

With Sinner almost unmatched for the potency and accuracy of his shot-making, Zverev's best chance of victory may be in dragging the Italian into a long dogfight and putting his serve to work in tiebreaks.

"Again, my goal is still to compete with the big guys and to compete for these kinds of tournaments and try to win them," said Zverev.

"I'm looking forward to Sunday. I do feel like I have done the work, and I do feel like I'm ready for it."