PARIS − The Italian female boxer who quit 46 seconds into her fight against Algeria’s Imane Khelif expressed regret for not shaking Khelif's hand following the controversial bout Thursday at the Paris Olympics, according to a published report.
"Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else,’’ Italy’s Angela Carini told told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. “I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke."
Carini also said, “All this controversy makes me sad’’ and that if she could meet Khelf again she would “embrace her.’’
Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports' WhatsApp Channel
Khelif landed one punch -- to the face fo Carini, who abandoned the fight and then failed to acknowledge her opponent in a bout that fueled controversy over gender eligibility.
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
OPINION:Olympic female boxers are being attacked. Let's just slow down and look at the facts
Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting were disqualified from the women’s 2023 World Championships. But the IOC have said two boxers met all criteria to compete against the women at the Paris Games and have noted both Khelif and Lin participated in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Said Carini, “If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.’’
But the controversy continued to simmer Friday when Lin began competition in the featherweight division.
The USA TODAY app brings you every Team USA medal — right when it happens. Download for full Olympics coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and much more.
2024-12-25 21:132159 view
2024-12-25 20:58134 view
2024-12-25 20:521862 view
2024-12-25 20:311692 view
2024-12-25 20:161804 view
2024-12-25 19:351083 view
The digital parking payment app ParkMobile has agreed to a $32.8 million settlement after a 2021 dat
Six months after discovering he was never legally adopted, Michael Oher formally petitioned to remov
UAW members are being asked to give union leaders the OK to call for a strike as negotiators continu