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Angela Carini said that she wants to apologise to Algerian Imane Khelif after abandoning bout in 46 seconds at the Paris Olympics 2024. Notably, the 25-year-old Italian boxer had quit her clash against Khelif on Thursday after just 46 seconds, saying that one punch from her rival boxer “hurt too much” to continue. Notably, Khelif is one of the two athletes who have been cleared to compete in Paris despite having been disqualified from Women’s World Championships for failing gender test.
Needless to say, the 25-year-old’s participation in Olympics sparked controversy, leading the IOC to defend her right to compete. Khalif’s bout against Carini also sparked discussions and arguments, which prompted the Italian to express her regrets. Carini spoke to Italian newspaper Gazzetto dello Sport and said that she wants to apologise to Khelif. She also said that she respects the IOC’s decision of allowing Imane to fight.
Angela said, “All this controversy makes me sad. I'm sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.” She acknowledged that leaving the fight was a mature decision but expressed her disappointment for not adhering to sportsmanship of shaking hands with her rival afterward. The Naples’ native added, "It wasn't something I intended to do.”
"Actually, I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke." She went on to say that if she met Khelif again, she would “embrace her”. It is to be noted that during their bout at the Olympics 2024 on Thursday, Carini took a punch to the face inside 30 seconds and went to the corner to get her headgear fixed. After briefly resuming, she returned to the corner and stopped the fight.
