A few seconds, the time to take a powerful right, then the decision to abandon. Angela Carini chose not to face the match against the hyper-androgynous Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.
After the judges validated her choice with the official verdict, the Italian knelt in the ring and burst into tears: «I went into the ring to fight – she then explained – I didn't give up, but a punch hit me it hurt too much and so I said enough. I go out with my head held high."
She hadn't decided this before, clarified the Italian boxing coach, Emanuele Renzini: «It would have been easier not to show up because all of Italy had been asking her not to fight for days. But Angela was motivated and wanted to do it. Of course at the draw, when she met her opponent, she told me 'it's not fair'. But here today there was no premeditation." Carini, he reiterated, left after «taking a punch, he told me that he didn't feel like it, that he didn't want to fight. I tried to tell her to at least get to the end of the first round so we could compare, but nothing."
Khelif had been excluded from the World Cup because her DNA has a male chromosome : the CONI had asked the IOC that "the rights of all athletes comply with the Olympic charter and health regulations", i.e. the rules on the complicated issue of gender. Then controversy broke out, including political controversy, following the IOC's confirmation that Khelif was admitted to the tournament like the other boxer with high testosterone, Lin Yu Ting from Taiwan .
(Unioneonline/D)