Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, gold medalist at Paris Olympics, receives warm welcome in home town

Olympic gold medalist boxer Imane Khelif has been welcomed as a hero in her home town.

The football-obsessed North African country has given Khelif the celebrity treatment since she returned to Algiers earlier this week.

Nowhere has this been more true than Tiaret, the largely rural region in central Algeria where she grew up and learned to box.

The boxer received flowers and framed certificates at the city offices.

“Algerians deserve to be happy and to celebrate. I hope we'll have other opportunities to make them happy," said Khelif.

Algerians vigorously defended Khelif as she advanced through the Olympic Games amid international scrutiny and uninformed speculation about her sex.

Despite being born and raised as a woman, she found herself in the crosshairs of Western debates about gender, sex and sports after failing unspecified and untransparent eligibility tests for women’s competition from the now-banned International Boxing Association in 2023.

As observers including billionaire Elon Musk, author J.K. Rowling and former U.S. President Donald Trump referred to her as a man in online posts, Algerians saw the controversy as an attack on their nation.

On Friday, Tiaret residents acknowledged the hardships that Khelif faced throughout the Olympics and said they hoped her success was just the beginning.

Khelif has filed a lawsuit in Paris against several high-profile individuals, including Elon Musk and Rowling, for their involvement in spreading false claims and engaging in gender