- Imane Khelif had her first bout of the Olympics on Thursday morning.
- The 25-year-old was rejected from last year’s World Championships.
- She has been allowed to compete here and has forced her opponent to withdraw.
Footage has emerged of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif landing a massive right hook on her opponent that forced the Italian to retire after just 46 seconds of their Olympic bout on Thursday morning.
Khelif, 25, was cleared to compete in Paris despite being banned from last year’s World Championships because of high testosterone levels.
On Thursday she faced Italy’s Angela Carini in her first Olympic fight and immediately went on the offensive by hitting Carini with a tremendous punch that sent her to the other side of the ring.
Carini remained on his feet, but it was a clean shot that caught him square on the chin and moments later he walked back to his corner before telling them: “It hurt like hell.”
After consulting with his corner, Carini opted to abandon the welterweight fight and Khelif was declared the winner.
Imane Khelif (left) landed a tremendous right hand on her Italian opponent Angela Carini (right)
Carini walked to their corner moments later and told them: “It hurt me a lot.”
Carini’s corner informed the referee that he would not continue in the fight.
Khelif (right) was declared the winner of the fight and advances to the next round.
Carini was left in tears after his defeat and told reporters: “I went into the ring to fight. I didn’t give up, but one blow hurt me too much and I said enough. I’m leaving with my head held high.”
Khelif’s participation in the Olympics has sparked controversy after she was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi.
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 a 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.”
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.
Taiwan’s Ling Yu-Ting (pictured) has been allowed to compete, despite being disqualified from last year’s World Championships.
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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).
The Boxing Unit approved the participation of both boxers under the rules in force for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which are less strict than those of the IBA.
Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting competed in Tokyo and both lost in the early rounds of their respective events.
