Julius OkorieControversial boxer, Imane Khelif, of Algeria, won her opening Olympic boxing bout on Thursday when opponent, Angela Carini of Italy quit after 46 seconds.
Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 world championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test, and her presence at the Paris Olympics was a surprise to many who believe she has an advantage over opponents because of the benefit of additional hormone.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThere were only a few punch exchanges before Carini abandoned the bout, an unusual occurrence in Olympic boxing. Carini’s headgear apparently became dislodged twice before she quit.
Carini refused to shake Khelif’s hand after the decision was announced, and she cried in the ring before leaving.
Afterward, a tearful Carini said she quit because of intense pain in her nose after the opening punches. Carini, who had a spot of blood on her trunks, said she wasn’t making a political statement and was not refusing to fight Khelif.
“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,” Carini said.
Carini said she is not qualified to judge whether Khelif should be allowed to compete but had no problem fighting her.
“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.”
Khelif, who fights again Saturday, didn’t speak to reporters.
Italian boxing coach, Emanuele Renzini, said Carini had been given the option to back out of the bout.
“I asked her, ‘Angela, if you don’t want to go up, let’s not go,'” Renzini said. “But she told me no, ‘This is my Olympics, I struggled to be here, I want to fight for my medal.’ So she was very determined to do it.
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“I supported her. I didn’t imagine such an outcome. She never had any doubts. She wanted to fight.”
Khelif is an accomplished amateur who won a silver medal at the International Boxing Association’s 2022 world championships. The same governing body disqualified her from last year’s championships shortly before her gold medal match because of what it said were elevated levels of testosterone.
The 25-year-old entered the ring at the North Paris Arena to a chorus of cheers, but the crowd was confused by the bout’s sudden end.
IBA May Protest Imane Khelif Olympic Appearance Over Gender Issue
IBA President, Umar Kremlev, posted an incendiary video on social media in which he criticised IOC President, Thomas Bach, the opening ceremony, and the decision to allow Khelif and Lin to compete.
Women boxers have been asked about Khelif and Lin repeatedly this week. Many have expressed concern, while others have urged more consideration of an obviously complicated issue.
“I don’t agree with that being allowed, especially in combat sports as it can be incredibly dangerous,” Australian middleweight Caitlin Parker said. “But right now, my focus is on getting through each fight. It’s not like I haven’t sparred with guys before, but it can be dangerous for combat sports and it should be seriously looked into. It is good that these things are coming out and it’s being put under the spotlight to be looked into further.
“Biologically and genetically, they are going to have more advantages. Combat sports can be dangerous. Fairness is what it’s all about. We all want fairness in sport.”
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
