Angela Carini, an Italian boxer, withdrew from the Paris Olympics on Thursday after receiving a series of crushing blows from her Algerian opponent Imane Khelif, who passed a gender eligibility test at the World Championships the previous year.
Khelif, whose participation at the Games was authorised by the IOC and had divided boxers, landed several punches in the first 30 seconds before a hard right to Carini’s nose caused the Italian to raise her hand and return to her corner.
Her coach said that she was withdrawing from the women’s welterweight round of 16 bout. Carini collapsed to her knees in the ring, sobbing and refusing to shake Khelif’s hand after the referee proclaimed the Algerian victorious.
“I am a fighter. My father taught me to be a warrior. When I am in the ring, I use that mindset, the mindset of a warrior, a winning mindset,” Carini told reporters after abandoning the bout. “This time I couldn’t make it.”
“I didn’t lose tonight, I just surrendered with maturity.”
Khelif and Taiwan’s double world champion Lin Yu-ting were cleared to fight in Paris after the IOC last year stripped the IBA of its status as boxing’s governing body over governance issues, and took charge of the Paris 2024 boxing competition.
Both had been disqualified at the 2023 World Championships after failing International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility rules that prevent athletes with male XY chromosomes competing in women’s events.
(Source: Reuters)
