Olympic athlete Imane Khelif slams 'cruel' Elon Musk after speaking out on abuse against her in heartbreaking interview
After launching a legal complaint against several celebrities who allegedly harassed her during a 'gender row' at this year's Olympic Games, Imane Khelif has lifted the lid on particularly heartbreaking abuse she received at the hands of Twitter boss Elon Musk.
Speaking to press this week, the Olympic champion branded the billionaire 'cruel'.
Despite walking away with a gold medal last month, 25-year-old Khelif's victory in the women's 66kg division was tragically bittersweet.
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In the weeks prior, the Algerian sportswoman found herself the focal point of a devastating debate on gender, with many critics - including numerous high-profile stars - arguing that she had no place at the prestigious games.
The backlash was sparked after the revelation that Khelif had previously failed the International Boxing Association's (IBA) gender eligibility test.
One of her opponents, Angela Carini, also added fuel to the fire when she sensationally threw in the towel after just 46 seconds before bursting into tears and refusing to shake Khelif's hand
Though she was backed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), she was subjected to ceaseless comments from countless spectators - with the Algerian Olympic Committee calling them 'baseless' attacks.
Following the conclusion of this year's Games, the boxer launched a lawsuit against a handful of individuals who've been named by French authorities as having committed alleged 'acts of aggravated cyber harassment', including Tesla CEO, Elon Musk
At the time, Musk - who Khelif's lawyer Nabil Boudi confirmed was named in the lawsuit - had shared a post from American swimmer Riley Gaines that read 'men don’t belong in women’s sports', to which he responded: "Absolutely."
This week, amid the ongoing lawsuit, Khelif has spoken out about how the billionaire businessman's comments affected her, branding him 'cruel'.
Speaking on the French TV show Clique this week, the teary-eyed boxer explained: "Elon Musk was one of the first to attack me during this hate campaign. He posted this video and it was retweeted.
"So, he was one of the first to have spread this buzz, this campaign against me."
She bravely continued: "I would say… you hate me but you don’t even know me.
"I don’t even know why you led this attack. You have been cruel to me, cruel to my family, to my mother. At that time, my mother was going to hospital every day."
Khelif went on to admit she 'doesn't understand the behaviour of people today', emphasising once again that she is a 'a Muslim Arabic woman'.
"I hope I will be even stronger in the future," she vowed. "And come back even more motivated."
Other celebrities listed in Khelif's lawsuit are Harry Potter author JK Rowling and former US President Donald Trump.
Rowling took to Twitter during the games, where she referred to Khelif as a 'male', and also accused her of 'enjoying the distress of a woman [she'd] just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition [she'd] just shattered'.
Meanwhile, Trump took to his Truth Social outlet declared in capital letters: "I will keep men out of women’s sports."
"Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution," Khelif's lawyer explained when the lawsuit was announced last month.
He went on to state that, though the complaint mentions names, 'what we’re asking is that the prosecution investigates not only these people but whoever it feels necessary'.
"If the case goes to court, they will stand trial." he said.
Topics: Imane Khelif, Sport, Olympics, Celebrity
Rhianna Benson