PARIS - Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who failed a gender eligibility test last year, pummelled her Italian opponent in 46 seconds at the Paris Olympics on Thursday as the controversy threatened to overshadow the sixth day of the Games.
It will also renew the debate about the inclusion of competitors in other sports at the Olympics and beyond who have undergone similar eligibility testing. A distraught Angela Carini, showing signs of physical pain, shrugged
off attempts by Khelif to shake her hand afterwards and the Italian collapsed to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably in the middle of the ring.
Khelif advanced to the quarter-finals of the women´s 66kg category after unloading two strong punches on Carini, who had blood on her shorts and was unable to carry on because of a badly hurt nose. The one-sided bout sparked an immediate reaction from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said the fight was “not on an equal footing”. “I have a big pain in my nose and I said, ´stop´. It´s better to avoid keeping going. My nose started dripping (with blood) from the first hit,” said the distressed Carini, who also broke down in tears when talking to reporters.
The 25-year-old sobbed: “I fought very often in the national team. I train with my brother. I´ve always fought against men, but I felt too much pain today.” Khelif and Taiwan´s Lin Yu-ting, who fights on Friday at 57kg, were disqualified from the 2023 world championships in New Delhi run by the International Boxing Association but deemed eligible to box in the women´s competition in Paris.
ZHENG STUNS SWIATEK AS ALCARAZ CLOSES IN ON DJOKOVICCLASH
Zheng Qinwen ended Iga Swiatek´s 25-match unbeaten streak at Roland Garros on Thursday to become the first Chinese player to reach an Olympic Games singles final as Carlos Alcaraz marched closer to a showdown with Novak Djokovic.Defending champion Alexander Zverev, however, crashed out, losing his quarter-final to a fired-up Lorenzo Musetti of Italy.
Seventh-ranked Zheng triumphed 6-2, 7-5 over world number one Swiatek and will face either Croatia´s Donna Vekic or Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia in the gold medal match.”I feel more than just happy -- happy isn´t enough to describe how I feel,” said Zheng, who had played back-to-back three-hour matches to make the semi-final.”If you ask me to play another three hours for my country, I would. It was an amazing match. To beat Iga is not easy.”
Swiatek, a four-time French Open champion at Roland Garros, went into the match at a sweltering Court Philippe Chatrier having not lost in Paris since 2021.The 23-year-old had also defeated Zheng in all of their six previous meetings.
Alcaraz, back at Roland Garros where he won a maiden French Open in June, became the youngest Olympic semi-finalist since Djokovic in 2008.The second seed saw off 13th-ranked Tommy Paul of the United States6-3, 7-6 (9/7) after recovering from a break down in the second set and saving a set point in the tie-break.Wimbledon semi-finalist Musetti stunned Zverev 7-5, 7-5 on the back of 20 winners as the 16th-ranked Italian continued his storming Olympics run.