Algiers, Algeria - Olympic gold medalist and Algerian boxing hero Imane Khelif is taking legal action for discrimination she faced during the Paris Games, citing a few well-known names in her suit.

The 25-year-old athlete filed her criminal complaint against "aggravated cyber harassment" after experiencing a torrent of online abuse – including from top celebrities and political figures – spreading false accusations that she is a man.

The torrent of hate poured in after Khelif defeated Italy's Angela Carini in just 46 seconds in her opening bout at the Paris Olympics. A tearful Carini later told reporters she had "never felt a punch like this" – and has since apologized for the negative impact of her reaction.

France opened an investigation into the case on Tuesday, headed by the country's Central Office for Combating Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crimes.

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Paris-based attorney Nabil Boudi confirmed to Variety that Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling and billionaire Elon Musk are named in Khelif's suit. Both had shared posts wrongly claiming Khelif is male with their enormous social media followings.

"Could any picture sum up our new men's rights movement better? The smirk of a male who's knows [sic] he's protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he's just punched in the head, and whose life's ambition he's just shattered," Rowling wrote on X along with a photo of Khelif trying to comfort a crying Carini.

After Khelif's first fight, Musk shared a post featuring a photo of Carini and the text "Men don't belong in women's sports" from rabid anti-trans activist Riley Gaines. The SpaceX CEO responded with one word: "Absolutely."

Both posts sparked a massive uproar from women's and LGBTQ+ rights advocates, who slammed the comments for undercutting female accomplishments and contributing to the spread of dangerous transphobia – even though Khelif herself is not trans.

False narratives about Khelif's gender and that of Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting arose after the International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified the two from last year's world championships, claiming they had failed eligibility tests – but neglected to provide any proof.

According to minutes on the IBA website, the initial decision to disqualify the pair in 2023 was taken solely by the organization's secretary general and CEO. It came three days after Khelif defeated Russia's Azalia Amineva, whose perfect record before the match was restored as a result.

Throughout her career, Khelif has competed as a woman and been deemed eligible for female IBA competitions since 2018 – until the sudden reversal last year.

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The IBA is run by Russian sports functionary Umar Kremlev and financially backed by the Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom. The organization's reputation for corruption is so bad that it has been banned from the Olympics since 2023, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) taking over responsibility for boxing competitions at the 2024 Games.

As the online misinformation and hate took off, IOC President Thomas Bach came to Khelif and Lin's defense and reaffirmed their right to compete in Paris.

Khelif's proud father has also shown his daughter's birth certificate listing her as a girl in a video widely shared on social media.

Khelif's Olympic journey, although triumphant, was anything but easy.

Right-wing political figures, including 2024 Republican nominee Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, quickly hopped in the ring to amplify untruthful stories about Khelif, while her semifinal competitor, Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori, shared a racist meme on social media ahead of their bout.

Amid the attacks, Khelif called for an end to bullying and for people around the world to uphold the principles in the Olympic Charter.

"[Bullying] can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying," she said in a statement translated from Arabic.

In spite of the abuse she suffered, Khelif continued her Olympic winning streak all the way through the women's 66kg gold medal match, which she won by unanimous decision. Lin also achieved gold medal glory in the 57kg competition.

"I was born a woman, I've lived as a woman, and I've competed as a woman," Khelif said in a press conference. "There's no doubt that there are enemies of success, and that gives my success a special taste because of these attacks."

Khelif received a hero's welcome in Algeria upon her return, and won the hearts of fans around the world – many of whom are cheering her on in the next round of her fight against discrimination.