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Italian boxer Angela Carini bowed out of her Olympic fight against Algerian boxer Iman Khelif in 46 seconds, saying she “wanted to apologise to her opponent” for the way she handled the situation after the fight.
Khalif is one of two athletes allowed to compete in women’s boxing in Paris, despite being disqualified from last year’s women’s world championships for not meeting qualifying standards.
The 25-year-old’s participation in the Olympics sparked controversy, leading the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to defend her right to compete.
“All this controversy makes me sad,” Carini told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I also feel sorry for my opponent. If the IOC agrees that she can compete, I will respect this decision.”
Carini, also 25, said it was a mature decision to give up the fight, but she regretted not shaking hands with Khalif after the fight.
“I didn’t want to do this,” Carini said. “I actually wanted to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics were ruined.”
She added that if she saw Khalif again she would “hug her”.
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