Sydney Colson spoke out in support of Imane Khelif. (Instagram, Imane Khelif, Sydney Colson)

Las Vegas Aces star Sydney Colson spoke out Saturday after Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won her Olympic quarterfinal bout against Hungary’s Luca Hamori. Khelif, who is guaranteed a medal after her win, is participating in the Welterweight category of the ongoing women’s boxing event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Khelif has become embroiled in gender controversy after she beat her Italian opponent Angela Carini in 46 seconds. Many have brought up her disqualification from the 2023 IBA World Championship after the International Boxing Association found Khelif to have “elevated levels of testosterone.”

However, after a straightforward 5-0 victory in the quarters, Khelif guaranteed herself a medal and will now take on Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the semifinals.

In the buildup to the quarters bout, Luca Hamori had posted a controversial image on her Instagram account, suggesting that she was about to face a man. She also claimed in an interview that she did not believe Khelif should be allowed to compete in the event.

However, after her defeat, she seemingly bore a more respectful demeanor, which was pointed out by Colson in a post on X. The teammate of U.S. superstar A’ja Wilson claimed that Hamori’s body language did not complement the kind of claims that she was noted to have previously made.

“So she tweeted that beauty in the beast lookin photo about Imane & then THIS was her energy in person lmaooo these boxers not standin on business at alllllll,” Colson wrote.

While much has been made about Khelif’s participation, the official documents that she submitted to the International Olympic Committee prove that she is a biological woman. IOC chief Thomas Bach has backed Imane Khelif amid the controversy, saying that “there was never any doubt” she is a woman.

Luca Hamori had claimed Imane Khelif does not deserve to compete in ‘women’s category’

The decision to allow Imane Khelif to participate was also reportedly protested against by Hungary’s Olympic Committee. Its boxer, Luca Hamori, herself claimed in the build-up to the bout that she was not scared, but said the following:

“In my humble opinion, I don’t think it’s fair that this contestant can compete in the women’s category. But I cannot concern myself with that now. I cannot change it, it’s life. I can promise you one thing… I will do my best to win and I will fight as long as I can.”

Needless to say, not only has Khelif silenced her doubters, but she is also confirmed to be an Olympic medalist. If she ends up winning the semifinal bout, Imane Khelif will then compete against the winner of the other semifinal clash, between Taiwan’s Chen Nien-chin and China’s Yang Liu, for the gold medal.

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Edited by R. Elahi