Algerian boxer Imane Khelif's win in her women's 66kg preliminary boxing bout on Thursday, August 1 against her Italian opponent Angela Carini created quite a stir on the internet. (Full Olympics Coverage | More Sports News)
After just one puch, Italy's Carini called off the game after just 46 seconds. Khelif, who was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test, saw her progress to the next round at the Paris Olympics.
Carini, whose headgear apparently became dislodged at least once before she quit, didn’t shake Khelif’s hand after the decision was announced, but she cried in the ring on her knees.
“I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said ‘enough,’ because I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to, I couldn’t finish the match,” a tearful Carini said post-match.
“I am not here to judge or pass judgment,” Carini said. “If an athlete is this way, and in that sense it’s not right or it is right, it’s not up to me to decide. I just did my job as a boxer. I got into the ring and fought. I did it with my head held high and with a broken heart for not having finished the last kilometer.”
(With AP inputs)
