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PARIS (AP) — Italian boxer Angela Carini got here to the Paris Olympics hoping to win a medal in honor of her late father and coach, who died shortly after she competed within the Tokyo Games three years ago.
But Carini's appearance in Paris on Thursday lasted only 46 seconds before she abandoned her fight against her Algerian opponent Imane Khelif with a blood stain on her pants.
Although Carini said it was not a political statement about Khelif, who was disqualified from the world championships last 12 months for failing an unspecified gender eligibility test, the move reignited debate about Khelif's status.
Carini, 25, competes within the 66-kilogram (145.5-pound) class, also often called welterweight. She won silver medals at each the World and European Championships in 2019.
She also won a gold medal on the European Youth Championships. She lost her opening match in Tokyo.
Carini’s nickname “Tiger” got here from her father Giuseppe.
Carini was Italian clay pigeon shooting champion before switching to boxing. She switched to follow her brother, who also gave up shooting for boxing.
“My brother and my father taught me boxing,” said Carini. “I owe them everything.”
Carini exchanged a number of heavy blows before stopping their fight – an especially rare occurrence in Olympic boxing. Carini didn’t shake Khelif's hand after the referee formally raised it. She cried within the ring after falling to her knees.
Her actions sparked a debate far beyond Paris about whether Khelif must have been allowed to compete in any respect after failing an unspecified aptitude test set by the now-banned International Boxing Association (IOA). Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni discussed the problem at a gathering with IOC President Thomas Bach in Paris on Friday.
The IOC has repeatedly defended Khelf's right to compete this week.
“Despite our requests for certainties and guarantees both for the safety of our athlete and for the regularity of the competition, they have confirmed that (Khelif) is within these parameters,” said Italian Olympic Committee President Giovanni Malagò.
Afterwards, a still-crying Carini said she had given up due to the pain of Khelif's first blows, adding that her nose bled afterwards.
“My face and nose hurt,” Carini said, in line with Italian sports day by day Gazzetta dello Sport. “I couldn't breathe. I thought about my family, looked at my brother in the stands and went to my corner to retreat. … I've never been hit by such a powerful blow.”
Carini added that it was not a deliberate move.
“All these controversies make me sad,” Carini said. “I also feel sorry for my opponent. … If the IOC has said that she can compete, I respect that decision.”
Carini apologized for not shaking Khelif’s hand after the fight.
“That was not my intention,” Carini said. “Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics went up in smoke. I have nothing against Khelif. If I met her again, I would actually hug her.”
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