Is Imane Khelif officially the most famous Algerian athlete? (Sorry Zidane!) Though not necessarily all for the right reasons, according to recent statistics shared by Google, the Algerian boxer Imene Khelif was this year’s most searched athlete on the global query engine.
The North African sportswoman topped 2024’s rankings, largely due to the controversy surrounding her presence at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris over the summer. The media frenzy started when unfair allegations began circulating online, questioning her gender and turning her participation into a polarizing debate that extended far beyond the ring.
For weeks, the story dominated headlines, with some even suggesting the accusations were rooted in broader issues of bias against athletes from underrepresented regions like North Africa. The scandal eventually caught the attention of several prominent figures, from Donald Trump and Elon Musk to J.K. Rowling, who didn’t hesitate to share their opinions on the 25-year-old’s gender without mincing their words. This eventually led Khelif to file a lawsuit with the anti-online hate center of the Paris public prosecutor’s office, on the grounds of “acts of aggravated cyber harassment.”
Undeterred by the harsh claims being made against her, she wrapped up the tournament in the best of ways by securing a gold medal at the quadrennial tournament and by becoming Algeria’s first female gold medalist in boxing, as well as her home-country’s first boxer, of any gender, to win a medal since Mohamed Allalou in the year 2000.
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Coming in at number two is none other than Mike Tyson. Despite retiring over two decades ago, the legendary boxer continues to remain relevant —this time thanks to his much-hyped showdown with YouTube star Jake Paul earlier this year. The fight, a standout moment in this year’s sporting calendar, went viral, sparking endless conversations about the evolving intersection of traditional sports and celebrity-driven spectacles.
And rounding out the top three, we have Lamine Yamal, the 17-year-old Moroccan-Guinean-Spanish football prodigy who had most of us stunned by his on-pitch skills. Out of the many miracle moments he’s had this year, his key role in helping his national team reach the UEFA European Football Championship’s final is undoubtedly one of them. And if that wasn’t enough, he scored a stunning goal in the competition’s semi-finals before lifting the tournament’s trophy on the day after his birthday. Having broken more records than one can count, it only makes sense to see the youngster featured on this list.
