Boxer Imane Khelif who failed gender test wins first Olympic match by 46-second knockout
Imane Khelif secured a quick victory over Angela Carini in their Summer Olympics boxing showdown today.
For those who don’t know, Imane Khelif has served as a controversial figure thus far at the Olympics in Paris. Last March, she was disqualified for failing to meet eligibility criteria shortly before her gold medal bout at the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships.
It was later reported that this was due to high levels of testosterone, and later that she had XY chromosomes. Because of this, Khelif was excluded from the event – but the controversy didn’t stop there.
That’s because Imane has been allowed to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics, as confirmed in a recent statement from the International Olympic Committee.
Read more: Despite failing gender tests, two boxers allowed to compete in Paris Olympics
As you can probably imagine, there’s been a whole lot of uncertainty surrounding what would happen next. The answer to that question came earlier today when Khelif defeated Carini in less than a minute, with the latter abandoning the contest.
Imane Khelif drama continues
“I was told a lot of times that I was a warrior, but I preferred to stop for my health. I have never felt a punch like this.
“After the second blow, and after years of experience in the ring and a lifetime of fighting, I felt extreme pain in my nose.
“I said ‘enough’ because I didn’t want to… I couldn’t carry on in the match. I thought maybe it was better that I brought an end to the match.”
Quotes via Sky News
The backlash from the Imane Khelif incident has been enormous as the IOC continues to receive calls for Khelif to be expelled from the competition. Either way, though, it doesn’t appear as if this story is going to go away anytime soon.
