Day 6 of the 2024 Olympics in Paris took a scandalous turn when Angela Carini withdrew from her preliminary match in women’s boxing against Algeria’s Imane Khelif just 46 seconds from the opening bell.
Khelif’s entry into the games has been criticized as she infamously got disqualified from the World Championships after ‘her elevated levels of testosterone failed to meet the eligibility criteria’, according to the IOC.
However, Khelif – a biological woman with differences in sex development condition – was still given the green light to compete in Paris.
The decision became ammunition against the committee after Khelif hit Carini with the ‘hardest punches’ she absorbed and forced her to withdraw.
To the Italian boxer, the loss caused her much more than a fair chance at taking home a medal. The round of 16 defeat also derailed Carini’s promise to her late father before the games.
After qualifying for the Paris Olympics, Carini expressed how securing an Olympics berth meant much more than representing her nation and competing on the world stage.
Carini’s father Giuseppe died in 2021, days after she got home from the Tokyo Games. As such, she had made it her abiding quest to honor him in Paris and channel all the wisdom he had imparted to her before his passing.
‘I want to show you something,’ she said, pulling her mobile phone out of her pocket after qualifying for the games. ‘It’s my father. He said to me: ‘Angelina, a champion in boxing is a bit like in cycling. They see the last kilometre and you know what they do? They pedal even harder. So, go all the way, because I’ll always be with you.’
‘And so I did. Until the end, I fought with blood in my eyes.’
Days before the opening ceremony, Carini posted a slideshow of pictures with her father on Instagram, writing: ‘and a promise to my dad.’
The commitment she had to fulfill her promise was reflected in the sadness Carini showed after failing to put up a fight on her way to elimination. Even in her loss, she referenced the encouragement she received from her father.
‘I am a fighter. My father taught me to be a warrior. When I am in the ring, I use that mindset, the mindset of a warrior, a winning mindset,’ Carini told reporters after abandoning the bout. ‘This time I couldn’t make it.’
‘I didn’t lose tonight, I just surrendered with maturity.’
‘I’m used to suffering,’ the Italian claimed after withdrawing from the bout. ‘I’ve never taken a punch like that, it’s impossible to continue. I’m nobody to say it’s illegal.
Despite the backlash from the IOC ‘allowing a transwoman’ to compete in the event, Khelif is set to square off in the quarterfinals against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori.
Although Khelif’s unfair advantage has been flagged on the world stage, the Hungarian claims she has no fear coming into Saturday’s matchup.
‘I’m not scared,’ Hamori told reporters. ‘I don’t care about the press story and social media. If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win.’
