Imane Khelif secured Olympic glory with a comfortable points victory over Yang Liu of China in the women's 66kg gold medal match. The Algerian fighter, who has been at the centre of a gender row throughout the Games, produced a dominant display to claim the spoils in emphatic fashion.

Khelif was roared into the ring by the hundreds of Algerian fans in attendance at Roland Garros, who were in fine voice throughout the contest. Her opponent was loudly booed, with just a handful of Chinese supporters waving their flags in a small corner of the arena.

It was a cagey start to the bout, with Khelif using her range to keep Yang quiet in the opening exchanges. Yang managed to find some gaps to land a few scoring punches, showing no sign of being overawed by the occasion, with Khelif biding her time behind her jab.

A powerful right hand from Khelif rocked Yang in the final minute of the first round, prompting a huge cheer from the fans at ringside and in the stands. It saw her draw first blood on the scorecards with the judges suitably convinced that she had made the better start.

Khelif came flying out of her corner in the second round, landing another huge right hand before Yang hit back with a well-timed punch of her own. The Chinese boxer was in no mood to go down quietly and threw everything at Khelif in her efforts to swing proceedings in her favour.

The second round was much closer than the first with both fighters landing plenty of shots, but it was Khelif who took it on the scorecards to pull even further ahead. It left Yang needing to pull off a miracle in the final round but Khelif held firm to complete a clean sweep and claim the gold medal.

Both fighters shared a sporting embrace at the final bell, with Khelif celebrating with her coaches and Yang trudging back to her corner knowing she had not done enough. Khelif broke into a victory dance after the decision was read out as she revelled in her well-deserved Olympic triumph.

Former boxing world champion Carl Frampton said on Eurosport: "When she came into the ring tonight, I thought the roof was going to come off. It was absolutely sensational. She was so determined tonight, dealing with so much pressure, and she was always going to win that gold medal."

Khelif's participation at the Olympics has sparked no shortage of controversy, given that she failed a gender test laid on by the International Boxing Association last year. The organisation is no longer recognised by the International Olympic Committee, who do not subject their athletes to the same testing.

Umar Kremlev, president of the IBA, allegedly claimed that Khelif's test displayed XY chromosomes but no evidence has ever been put forward by the body. The 25-year-old was born female, with her father providing documents to prove that fact following the spread of online misinformation.

MORE TO FOLLOW

We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures, and video on this breaking news story.

Stay up to date with all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.

Follow us on Twitter @DExpress_Sport - the official Daily Express & Express.co.uk Twitter account - providing real news in real-time.

We're also on Facebook @DailyExpressSport - offering your must-see news, features, videos, and pictures throughout the day to like, comment, and share from the Daily Express, Sunday Express, and Express.co.uk.