Sports News | Algerian Boxer Who Had Gender Test Issue Wins First Olympic Fight in Paris when Opponent Quits
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Imane Khelif of Algeria won her opening Olympic boxing bout Thursday when opponent Angela Carini of Italy quit after just 46 seconds.
Villepinte (France), Aug 1 (AP) Imane Khelif of Algeria won her opening Olympic boxing bout Thursday when opponent Angela Carini of Italy quit after just 46 seconds.
Kheli was disqualified from the 2023 world championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test, and her presence at the Paris Olympics has become a divisive issue.
Carini and Khelif had only a few punch exchanges before Carini abandoned the bout, an extremely unusual occurrence in Olympic boxing. Carini's headgear 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.
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 claimed 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.
Khelif and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan have suddenly received massive scrutiny for their presence in Paris after years of amateur competition.
Lin won the IBA World Championships in 2018 and 2022. But, the governing body stripped her of a bronze medal last year because it claimed she failed to meet unspecified eligibility requirements in a biochemical test.
The Algerian Olympic Committee issued a statement Wednesday condemning what it termed “lies” and “unethical targeting and maligning of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with baseless propaganda from certain foreign media outlets.” (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)