Boxer Angela Carini won her eighth Italian women's title on Sunday, making her comeback after withdrawing against a controversial opponent at the Paris Olympics.
“Tonight was my revenge,” Carini told reporters after the match, via The Telegraph, months after he was punched in the face by a player whose birth gender is in question in front of a worldwide audience. .
Carini, 26, withdrew from her match against Algeria's Imane Kherif in Paris after receiving several hard blows to the head. Kerif's participation in the Olympics became the biggest controversy at the Paris Games after the Algerian athlete failed gender eligibility tests to compete in other international women's boxing competitions.
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Imane Kherif (red) of Algeria punches Angela Carini of Italy during the round of 16 of the women's 66 kg qualifying round for the 2024 Paris Olympics at the North Paris Arena in Villepinte on August 1, 2024. (Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images)
Kerif was disqualified from competing in the 2023 International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships, with IBA president Umar Kremlev saying the boxer had “XY chromosomes” associated with biological males.
Carini abandoned the match against Kerif after just 46 seconds.
“I entered the ring to fight,” Carini said in Paris, via Italy's ANSA. “I didn't give up, but that first punch hurt too much, so I said, 'Enough is enough.'”
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Algeria's Imane Kherif (right) defeated Italy's Angela Carini in the women's 66 kg qualifying round for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on August 1, 2024. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Carini previously told reporters that her goal at the Olympics was to win a medal for her late father.
Although Kerif won the gold medal in Paris, she was not the only boxer to win a women's gold medal who was disqualified after failing a gender eligibility test. Lin Yuting of Taiwan, who won gold in another women's weight class in Paris, sparked similar outrage.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended Kerif and Yuting's participation in the women's event until the very end.
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Kerif has since filed a lawsuit against multiple people, including Elon Musk and JK Rowling, who have criticized him and the IOC, alleging “aggravated cyber harassment” on sexual grounds.
Kerif threatened another lawsuit in November against a French journalist over a report about boxers having testicles.
“I will meet a French journalist in court,” the Algerian player said via NDTV.
Carini previously said he wanted to “apologize” to Kerif for his departure, which brought negative attention to the Algerian.
Angela Carini of Italy competes against Imane Kherif of Algeria in the women's 66 kg qualifying round for the 2024 Paris Olympics at the North Paris Arena on August 1, 2024 in Paris. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
“This whole controversy makes me sad,” Mr Carini said via the BBC. “I also feel sorry for my opponent. If the IOC says I can fight, I will respect that decision.”
Carini said after the match that he regretted the cold treatment he received from Kerif.
“That wasn't what I intended,” Carini said. “I actually want to apologize to her and everyone else. I'm angry because the Olympics were ruined.”
Still, Carini felt some kind of “revenge” had been taken on Sunday.
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