Imane Khelif receives 4 votes for AP's Female Athlete of the Year

But Olympic gold medalist boxer Imane Khelif was third, getting four votes.

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.

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 International Olympics Committee (IOC) defended Khelif and Yu-ting's inclusion in the women's events until the very end. 

"These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process," the IOC said during the games.

Khelif later won gold. Khelif did not lose a single round on any scoreboards in Paris.

After Carini won her eighth women's Italian title earlier this month, she claimed the victory was her "revenge."