Italian Olympic competitor Angela Carini has opened up about the harassment she has faced more than a year after she bowed out of her fight against Turkey’s Imane Khelif.
In the first 46 seconds of the match, Khelif drove home a string of jarring punches, one of which loosened Carini’s chin strap and another drew blood.
Carini called it quickly with a raised hand and returned to her corner. Then, she collapsed on her knees, crying and refusing to take her rival’s proffered hand.
The incident quickly spiraled into political discourse, drawing commentary from her country’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, US President Donald Trump, and blowhards like Elon Musk.
The backlash, for the most part, stemmed from a previous IBA test
The main bone of contention in the ring on August 1, 2024, in the North Paris Arena during the French Olympics, was not Carini’s decision to quit.
It centered around Khelif with the likes of JK Rowling, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump directly or indirectly accusing her of being a man.
Fueling their convictions (or whims) was the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) previous claims that a DNA sample from Khelif found that she had XY chromosomes, which are normal.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), however, slammed the Russian-led IBA, pointing to a lack of transparency in its testing, and allowed Khelif to participate in the Olympics, per The Independent.
And so the Algerian pugilist got to face Carini.
Angela Carini would later apologize for the way she left the ring
Carini would later apologize for her handling of the thrashing, saying she could have conducted herself more professionally.
“All this controversy makes me sad,” the BBC reported her saying around the time.
“I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”
She touched on her refusal to shake Khelif’s hand, saying:
“It wasn’t something I intended to do. Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke.”
The Italian boxer lamented what she had to “endure” since she walked out of the ring
Carini has taken to her Instagram to cast a light on the treatment she received from the public.
In a slideshow of stills, she showed messages that ranged from begging her not to return to the Olympic ring to insults, some of which called her a coward.
“Have you ever wondered how hard it was for me to face these words?” she could be heard saying.
Imane Khelif is a man who robbed women of their Olympic medals.
After he “won” the bout with Angela Carini – as the audience chanted his name – Carini said, “Non è giusto!” or “It’s not fair!” She knew he was a man, too, by the force of his blows.
Algeria should be punished.… https://t.co/ma30owcQvN pic.twitter.com/N8mgTPGfU1
— Genevieve Gluck (@WomenReadWomen) June 2, 2025
“What I had to endure and endure day after day? What I had to face in my silence, while preserving my health from a stupid social network, from people who speak and say words without thinking twice?”
She claims her career was “destroyed” on August 1. 2024
“Because for them it´s just a sentence, it´s just a word, it´s just fun, it’s just wanting to follow the crowd,” her missive continued.
“For many it is easy to forget the past, but for me it wasn’t,” the Italian contender claimed.
“That past that marked my life. That past that left wounds inside me that I try to heal day after day, but like an infected wound, it bleeds and hurts,” per the Daily Mail.
She complained that the events of August 1, 2024 “destroyed her career” that took years to build and accused critics of ripping it apart for laughs.
She won her eighth title in December of the same year
But in line with the mentoring of all boxers, Carini picked herself up again, and in December of the same year, fought at the World Boxing Cup in Poland, where she won her eighth Italian title.
“Putting all the disappointment aside, I got back into that ring, reconfirming myself as Italian champion and bringing home medals from important international tournaments,” she declared.
“These words of mine will not change the world, I will not make people become kinder. But at least I invite everyone to reflect … A word, a gesture, a command can hurt and destroy a person.”
Imane Khelif is yet to set foot in the ring since her controversial Olympic victory
Bored Panda previously reported on a similar statement from Khelif. On August 9, she took to her Instagram to write:
“Today, on the anniversary of that triumph, I’m going through a difficult phase filled with challenges, silence, and waiting…
“But despite everything, the spirit that fought for gold still beats within me,” she declared.
“I still believe that every fall is a prelude to a stronger rise, and that every delay carries within it a test of faith and willpower.”
Unlike Carini, Khelif has not stepped back into the ring since her Olympic victory.
Carini’s recent post continues to draw mixed reactions
