Algeria's Imane Khelif aims for gold at Olympic boxing final

In the Algerian village of Ain Mesbah, where Imane Khelif grew up, residents are rooting for their homegrown boxing star.

She is competing in the Paris Olympics despite being disqualified from last year’s World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA), after reportedly failing a gender eligibility test.

The 25-year-old has in an eligibility controversy, also targeting Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, that has  dominated headlines.

At the boxing centre where Khelif began her journey, young boxer Yousra Messoussa, is firmly behind her.

“Imane is a woman. She was born a girl, lived as a girl, and boxes as a woman. Criticism and attacks don't affect her,” says Messoussa.

“We say to her, continue your career and pursue your dream, which is to win the gold medal and first place.”

The International Olympic Committee stood by Khelif and Lin, affirming they were women and allowing them to compete in the Games.

Abdelkader Bezaiz is a coach at the boxing centre in the village of Ain Mesbah where Khelif started out as a young girl.

"As for the conflict between the Olympic Committee and the IBA, it only strengthens her determination and will to prove that she is the boxing champion of these Paris Games," he says.

Her uncle, Rachid Khelif, says everyone was worried that the wave of hatred against Khelif on social media would have a negative impact on her performance.

But she won her semi-final bout on Tuesday against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in a unanimous points decision.

“Between the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, we were on edge, we weren't sleeping, we were tired, we were under pressure,” says her uncle.

“We were afraid that these attacks [on social media] would affect her psychologically. But thank God, we saw Imane in a good state of mind.”

Khelif will fight China’s Liu Yang in the gold-medal bout on Friday.