Tennis legend Martina Navratilova only needed one acronym in response to Olympic boxing gold medalist Imane Khelif receiving votes for the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award.
Khelif was in a firestorm throughout the Olympics after it was learned the Algerian fighter failed a gender test in the run-up to the Paris Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) maintained that Khelif met all the requirements to compete and eventually won the gold medal.
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Khelif finished third in the voting, receiving four votes. Caitlin Clark won the award and Simone Biles was second.
Navratilova, who has been a staunch advocate for protecting women’s sports, reacted in a post on X.
“Wtaf???” she wrote, which means “what the actual f—.”
Khelif qualified for the Paris Olympics, but Khelif’s gender was called into question following a disqualification from the 2023 championships before a gold medal bout over gender eligibility issues.
International Boxing Association president Umar Kremlev said the boxer had “XY chromosomes,” which are associated with biological males.
One boxer, Angela Carini, forfeited her bout against Khelif in Paris, saying “one punch hurt too much.”
Khelif won gold in Paris and wasn’t the only boxer to win a women’s gold who has been disqualified for failing gender eligibility tests. Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting also won gold in another women’s weight class in Paris, prompting similar outrage.
The IOC defended Khelif and Yu-ting’s inclusion in the women’s events.
Khelif was the most Googled athlete of the year, largely due to the controversy.
Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
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