Imane Khelif has vowed to defy US President Donald Trump and target a place in the 2028 Olympics. The Algerian boxer won gold in her welterweight category in Paris last year but did so amid waves of controversy and vitriol after wrongly being accused of being a transgender athlete.

In 2023, Khelif was disqualified from the World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA), a Russian-backed and now discredited world governing body. They claimed that blood test findings made her ineligible to compete against females but never provided any documented evidence about the results. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) later ruled that the tests were not credible and cleared Khelif to compete in France.

The 28-year-old will compete in the World Championships in Liverpool this year but has already outlined her ultimate goal of defending her Olympic title in Los Angeles. Since returning to office, Trump has vowed to ban men from participating in women’s sports and has falsely implied that Khelif was born a male.

Khelif, however, is not intimidated by the President. She told ITV Sport: “The US President issued a decision related to transgender policies in America. I am not transgender. This does not concern me, and it does not intimidate me. That is my response.”

Despite her defiance, Khelif conceded that the row that ensued during the Paris Olympics, which peaked after Italian boxer Angela Carini quit their bout in 46 seconds, affected her psychological well-being. Her mother also needed hospital treatment due to the stress of the ordeal.

“I was deeply affected mentally and felt discouraged, but I remained aware of what was happening,” continued Khelif. “Even during the Paris Olympics, I had a team of specialist doctors who provided me with support and assistance. Without their support, I might have fallen into a spiral of depression.”

The IBA remains unrecognised by Olympic organisers. However, Thomas Bach has now stepped away from his role as IOC President, and Khelif has urged his eventual replacement to “uphold the values of fair play” and accused critics of only speaking out when she got on a roll in Paris.

“I see myself as a girl, just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one,” she continued. “I have competed in many tournaments, including the Tokyo Olympics and other major competitions, as well as four World Championships.

“All of these took place before I started winning and earning titles. But once I began achieving success, the campaigns against me started.”