A boxer deemed a ‘biological male’ today won against an Italian woman in one of the most controversial Olympic bouts ever.
The fight between Italy’s Angela Carini and her Algerian opponent Imane Khelif took just 46 seconds, with the Italian throwing her helmet onto the floor as the clash was abandoned, yelling: ‘This is unjust.’
The 25-year-old refused the handshake and fell to the canvas sobbing having received just two punches from Khelif – who had been banned from a major boxing contest before the Olympics.
Khelif was thrown out of last year’s world championships after failing testosterone tests carried out to establish gender qualification.
After the match was stopped, the referee raised Khelif’s hand in the air. But a visibly furious Carini yanked her own hand away from the fight official and walked off.
Ignoring the Algerian, the Italian fighter then plunged to her knees and burst into tears as she said she had never felt such strong blows in a contest before.
Speaking after the match, the heartbroken Italian said: ‘I’m used to suffering. I’ve never taken a punch like that, it’s impossible to continue. I’m nobody to say it’s illegal.
‘I got into the ring to fight. But I didn’t feel like it anymore after the first minute. I started to feel a strong pain in my nose. I didn’t give up, but a punch hurt too much and so I said enough. I’m leaving with my head held high.’
She said she did not walk away from the fight as a protest against her opponent’s inclusion, but that was a decision for the Olympics to consider.
She was taken away for medical assessment to examine the seriousness of her facial injuries which included a bruised nose.
Do you think this was a fair match-up?YesNoUnsure
Carini added: ‘I entered the ring and I told myself I have to take out all of myself independently from the person I had in front of me.
‘And honestly, I don’t care. I said to myself, ‘This is my Olympics’. Independently, from all controversy, I just wanted to carry on and win.’
