Female Olympic boxer WALKS OUT of fight in tears after just 46 seconds against rival who previously failed gender test
BOXER Angela Carini stopped her controversial fight with Imane Khelif after just 46 seconds.
Carini, 25, took a pair of shots from Khelif, who last year failed a gender test, before abruptly choosing to end the contest.
The Naples-born star did not acknowledge her opponent after the welterweight bout, as Khelif tried to approach her.
She then fell to her knees and burst into tears.
Khelif, 25, is one of two athletes who have been cleared to compete in the women’s boxing, having been disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championships for failing to meet eligibility criteria.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Khelif was disqualified in New Delhi for failing a testosterone level test.
Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting was stripped of a bronze medal at the World Championships in March 2023, after failing a gender eligibility test.
However featherweight Lin has been cleared to take on Sitora Turdibekova on Friday.
Italy’s family minister Eugenia Roccella and sports minister Andrea Abodi had earlier raised concerns about the eligibility rules at Paris, as have some of the boxers in the women’s competition.
After the fight, a spokesperson for the Italian team revealed that friends and family had told Carini not to take to the ring at all.
Her tears continued as she spoke to the press after the bout.
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