- Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has competed in the women’s welterweight event
- He won his first fight after his opponent retired after just 46 seconds.
- A lip reader has now revealed what was said before the fight was called off.
A lip reader has revealed what Imane Khelif’s opponent said after pulling out of their boxing match on Thursday afternoon, according to reports.
Khelif is one of two boxers allowed to compete at the Olympics despite being excluded from last year’s World Championships for being considered biologically male.
Amid the eligibility dispute, the Algerian has now won her first fight at the Games after her Italian opponent Angela Carini abandoned their bout after 46 seconds.
Carini was hit twice by Khelif in the first round of their women’s welterweight title fight in Paris before retiring.
According Sports GazetteA lip reader claimed Carini told her corner that “it hurt like hell” when Khelif hit her.
Imane Khelif, one of two female boxers involved in an Olympic eligibility dispute, won her first boxing match of the Games after her opponent retired in the first round on Thursday.
Khelif landed two brutal blows on Angela Carini before the fight was stopped.
A lip reader has now revealed what Carini told his corner after the fight was abandoned.
She said afterwards: “I got the second blow on the nose and it hurt so much that I didn’t feel like continuing. Did I let myself be influenced by the media case? No, I was here to win my Olympics. Quitting was a gesture of maturity, not surrender.”
The Italian boxer, who had said before the fight that she “could only adapt to the rules of the Olympic Games”, was later seen crying in the centre of the ring after the abrupt conclusion of the fight.
Khelif’s participation in the event has been a source of controversy after she was disqualified from the Women’s World Boxing Championships last year.
The Olympics website said Khelif had been disqualified hours before a gold medal bout against China’s Yang Liu in New Delhi after her elevated testosterone levels did not meet eligibility criteria.
The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) responded by claiming the disqualification was part of a “conspiracy” to prevent them from winning the gold medal and said there were “medical reasons” behind the high testosterone levels.
Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan was also disqualified from the World Championships.
According to feminist website Reduxx, both are believed to be affected by a Difference of Sex Development (DSD), a series of medical conditions identified at birth where the genitals are atypical in relation to the chromosomes.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) released a statement on Wednesday, saying its decisions were made “after a meticulous review.”
Carini was hit twice in the first round before leaving the fight after 46 seconds.
The Italian boxer fell to her knees after withdrawing and was seen crying in the ring
The IBA stated that none of the athletes underwent testosterone tests, but were “subjected to a separate, recognized test” that was conducted at their 2022 and 2023 World Championships.
It is claimed that the tests “conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the necessary eligibility criteria required”, and that both boxers ‘They were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors.’
The IBA has hit out at the IOC, saying its regulations differ…raise serious questions about competitive fairness and athlete safety.
The IBA is not responsible for the Olympic competition being stripped of its recognition by the IOC amid ongoing governance issues (the organisation established the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit to organise the event).