Follow the latest news on the 2024 Paris Olympics
Imane Khelif said she was ignoring the noise that has seen her dragged into a major gender controversy and concentrating on clinching Olympic gold in Paris.
The Algerian boxer won her semi-final on Tuesday to guarantee at least a silver medal in front of a raucous Roland Garros crowd that chanted her name throughout.
Khelif defeated Thailand's 2023 world silver medallist Janjaem Suwannapheng via unanimous points decision to march into Friday's final in the women's 66kg category.
Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, the other boxer in the eye of a storm over her eligibility, is herself sure to take home at least bronze at a different weight.
"I am focusing on the competition and other things are not important. The important thing is that I am in the final now," Khelif told BeIN Sports.
"I am very proud of this new achievement. I gave everything I had. We worked as a team for years and the dream has become a reality. I hope to focus and be up to the responsibility in the dream final."
In the build-up to Tuesday's semi-final, Khelif said the scrutiny and vitriol she has faced over misconceptions over her gender "harms human dignity" and called for an end to "bullying" athletes.
Khelif, 25 and Lin both fought at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago but there was no controversy at the time and neither won a medal.
Both were disqualified from last year's world championships, organised by the International Boxing Association, after failing gender eligibility tests, but were cleared to compete in Paris by the International Olympic Committee.
As has been the case at all her fights in Paris, Khelif was given the biggest roar of the night as she entered the arena at Roland Garros, usually home to Grand Slam tennis but hosting Olympic boxing and a sizeable number of Algerian fans with flags.
Cries of "Imane, Imane" rang out repeatedly before and during the bout.
The Thai Janjaem, who had a clear height disadvantage, took a standing count in the third round after feeling the full power of the superior Algerian.
At the end of the fight at the 15,000-seated Court Philippe-Chatrier, which was close to capacity, the two fighters greeted each other warmly and shook hands.
Khelif did a dance in the middle of the ring, to more roars of approval. Khelif received her post-fight medical check and was headed out of the arena when she was mobbed by fans near the exit. They hugged Khelif, demanded selfies and waved Algerian flags while she made her way backstage.
She faces Yang Liu for gold after the Chinese boxer beat Taiwan's Chen Nien-chin in the other semi-final on points.
The gender controversy ignited when Khelif defeated Angela Carini in 46 seconds in her opening bout last week. The Italian reduced to tears and abandoning the fight after suffering a badly hurt nose.
The IBA is banned from organising boxing at the Olympics due to concerns over its governance. The Kremlin-linked president, Umar Kremlev, claimed at a chaotic press conference on Monday that both Khelif and Lin were expelled from last year's world championships after "genetic testing that shows that these are men".
The IOC has leapt to the defence of Khelif and Lin, with president Thomas Bach saying they were born and raised as women, and have passports saying that.
Algeria’s Olympic team has reacted forcefully to the criticism and negative attention around Khelif, and the fan turnout in Roland Garros reflected the seriousness with which the accusations have been received in her home country and in its French diaspora.
Lin, 28, fights in the semi-finals of the women's 57kg division on Wednesday.
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS
Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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