Angela Carini, an Italian Olympic boxer, exited her match against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, marking Khelif as the winner just 46 seconds into the bout.
During their encounter at the Paris 2024 Olympics on 1 August, Carini and Khelif exchanged a few punches before Carini decided to leave the welterweight 16 round match.
Carini’s headgear appeared to come loose twice before she quit, and she declined to shake Khelif’s hand after the latter was declared the victor.
The Italian boxer seemed to get emotional in the ring before stepping away from the bout.
Explaining her decision, Carini said, “I have always honoured my country with loyalty. This time I didn’t succeed because I couldn’t fight anymore. So I put an end to the match.”
In a post-fight interview with the ANSA news agency, Carini stated: “I went into the ring to fight. I didn’t give up, but a punch hurt too much and so I said enough.”
“I’m leaving with my head held high.”
The unexpected conclusion to the bout followed Khelif’s disqualification from the 2023 world championships due to failing an unspecified gender eligibility test. The International Boxing Association cited elevated levels of testosterone.
According to Reuters, the IBA’s eligibility rules disqualify athletes with XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events.
Khelif previously earned a silver medal at the International Boxing Association’s 2022 world championships.
Before the match, the Algerian Olympic Committee released a statement condemning what it termed as ‘lies’ and accusing certain foreign media of spreading ‘baseless propaganda’ against Khelif.
Despite the controversy surrounding the allegations, the Olympic Committee stood by Khelif.
The Algeria Olympic Committee emphasized: “Such attacks on her personality and dignity are deeply unfair, especially as she prepares for the pinnacle of her career at the Olympics. The COA has taken all necessary measures to protect our champion.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also defended the athletes participating in this year’s Olympics, confirming their eligibility.
On Tuesday, IOC spokesman Mark Adams remarked, “These athletes have competed many times before for many years, they haven’t just suddenly arrived – they competed in Tokyo.”
