Italian boxer Angela Carini says 'I quit to save my life' after stopping Olympic bout 46 seconds in
1 August 2024, 23:45 | Updated: 2 August 2024, 00:19
Angela Carini claims she quit "to save her own life" after quitting a bout against Algerian Imane Khelif after just 46 seconds.
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Italian Angela Carini ended her 66kg clash with Algerian Imane Khelif after just 46 seconds, when two punches saw her helmet dislodged.
Now, the Italian has said she quit the clash to "save" her own life.
Carini refused to shake hands with Khelif after the fight, as she wept on the canvas with a possible broken nose.
"After the second [punch] I couldn't breathe anymore," Carini said.
"I quit to save my own life.
"I went to my coach and said 'enough' because it takes maturity and courage to stop. I didn't feel like fighting anymore."
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Her coach said: "She felt pain in her nose and said to me 'I don't want to fight anymore'."
The fight itself had already been controversial - Khelif, who is 5ft 10, was one of two women boxers cleared to compete after being disqualified from last year's World Boxing Championships in New Delhi.
The Algerian was disqualified for failing to meet the necessary gender eligibility criteria, despite being raised and living as a woman since her birth.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has said: “I have been trying to explain for years that, when taken to the extreme, some theses risk impacting women’s rights.
"I think that athletes who have male genetic characteristics should not be admitted to women’s competitions. Not because we want to discriminate against anyone, but in order to protect the right of female athletes to be able to compete on equal terms”
The president of the International Boxing Association (IBA) said that his association "uncovered athletes who were trying to fool their colleagues and pretended to be women" using DNA tests.
Umar Kremlev said that the DNA tests "proved" that these boxers "had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded from the sports events."
Speaking after Thursday's match, Carini said: "I have always honoured my country with loyalty.
"This time I didn't succeed because I couldn't fight anymore. So I put an end to the match."
Her coach told reporters afterwards: "I don't know if her nose is broken. I have to speak with the girl.
"But many people in Italy tried to call and tell her: 'Don't go please: it's a man, it's dangerous for you."
Algeria's Olympic Committee has called the criticism of Khelif "baseless", and the boxer was welcomed the ring by cheers from Algerian fans.
"Such attacks on her personality and dignity are deeply unfair, especially as she prepares for the pinnacle of her career at the Olympics," Algeria's committee said.
