Italy’s Angela Carini abandoned her Olympic bout against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif within 46 seconds, stating, “I had to preserve my life.”
Khelif is one of two athletes cleared to compete in women’s boxing in Paris after being disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championships for failing to meet eligibility criteria. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which did not organize the World Championships but is running the boxing event at Paris 2024, said welterweight Khelif was disqualified in India due to elevated testosterone levels.
After receiving a bye in the first round at the Olympics, the 25-year-old Khelif, who also competed at the Tokyo Games, entered Arena Paris Nord on Thursday to much applause from the Algerian crowd. Carini took a punch to the face within 30 seconds and went to her corner for her coach to fix her headgear. After briefly resuming, she returned to her corner and stopped the fight.
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Just before Khelif’s arm was raised by the referee, Carini could be heard saying, “It’s not right.” She was in tears as she faced the media after the bout.
“I wasn’t able to finish the match. I felt a strong pain in my nose and, with the experience and maturity I have as a woman, I decided to stop. I hope my nation and my dad won’t take it badly, but I had to preserve my life,” Carini told BBC Sport.
“It could have been the match of a lifetime, but I had to preserve my life in that moment. I don’t fear the ring or taking blows, but I couldn’t continue this time.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told Italian media: “It matters to compete on equal grounds, and, from my point of view, it was not an even contest.”
Speaking about Khelif, Carini said, “I wish her to carry on until the end and that she can be happy. I am someone who doesn’t judge anyone. I am not here to give judgments.”
Khelif, who has lost nine times in her 50-fight career, told BBC Sport, “I’m here for the gold – I fight everybody.”
In a statement on Thursday, the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit and IOC criticized the International Boxing Association (IBA), stating Khelif and Lin “were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA.”
“Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process,” the IOC said. “The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years. Such an approach is contrary to good governance.”