The backlash following the brief Olympic bout between Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Italy’s Angela Carini continues. Khelif, who’s engulfed in a gender controversy at the 2024 Paris Games, was declared the winner in Thursday’s welterweight fight after Carini surrendered just 46 seconds into the match after being struck multiple times in the face.
Not long after, Riley Gaines — a 12-time All-American and former collegiate swimmer at Kentucky who describes herself as a “leader defending women’s single-sex spaces” — posted on X, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports #IStandWithAngelaCarini.” Elon Musk then agreed with her in a post on his X platform, writing, “Absolutely,” in a re-post of Gaines’ initial message.
Carini, 25, expressed that she had “enough” after enduring several punches to the face during the women’s 66kg preliminaries match on Thursday at the North Paris Arena. “This is unjust,” the two-time Olympian shouted while in her corner.
Carini’s coach, Emanuele Renzini, mentioned that many had advised her against fighting the 25-year-old Khelif, who had been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships due to failed gender eligibility tests. “Many people in Italy tried to call and tell her: ‘Don’t go please: it’s a man, it’s dangerous for you,” Renzini told reporters.
Through tears, Carini said she had “never taken a punch like that.” She added, “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, so I said enough. I’m leaving with my head held high.”
