Thailand’s boxer Janjaem v Algeria’s Imane Khelif in Olympic semi-final

Female Thai boxer Janjaem Suwannapheng is set to meet Algeria’s controversial pugilist Imane Khelif in the Paris Olympics semi-final this Wednesday. Khelif is at the centre of a storm over her gender eligibility.

The Thai boxer, the last of eight still in the game, defeated her Turkish opponent Busenaz Surmeneli on points in their women’s 66kg quarter-final bout on Saturday evening.

She is now ensured of a bronze medal.

After last night’s bout, Janjaem said that she felt a lot of pressure before the fight, because she was the only Thai boxer left in the game, adding that she won because she was well-prepared and fought well.

She said that a bronze medal is not her goal, because she wants to reach the final. She insisted that she would fight Khelif because she is not afraid of her, because “both of us have two hands alike”.

“Arriving at this point, I will go all the way to the gold medal,” said Janjaem, adding, however, that she is unsure whether Khelif’s testosterone level will increase.

Photos by AFP