'Tonight was my revenge': Female boxer who lost to male at Olympics wins national title

A female Olympic boxer won a national title in her home country months after losing a controversial bout in less than a minute to an opponent accused of being a man.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Italy's Angela Carini retired after just 46 seconds during a match against Algeria's Imane Khelif, a fighter shrouded in controversy over rumors the boxer has male chromosomes. Khelif went on to win the gold medal.

Now, Carini has reportedly won the Italian women's national boxing title and was shown in a photo celebrating with her medal.

"Tonight was my revenge," Carini said, per the Telegraph's Oliver Brown.

Carini's ability to win a national title perhaps showcases that even top female athletes are at a disadvantage when it comes to directly competing against men.

'I'm going out with my head held high.'

After her loss to Khelif at the summer games, Carini broke down in tears as her opponent celebrated.

"I got into the ring to fight," Carini said following the fight. "I didn't give up, but one punch hurt too much, and so I said enough."

"I'm going out with my head held high," she added.

However, the Italian would later apologize for not shaking her opponent's hand and said she accepted the decision by the International Olympic Committee to allow Khelif to compete against women.

"All this controversy makes me sad," Carini said. "I'm sorry for my opponent, too. ... If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision."

Angela Carini reacts to her loss against Imane Khelif at North Paris Arena on August 1, 2024, in Paris, France.Photo by MOHD RASFAN / AFP) (Photo by MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images

Multiple sources have claimed Khelif is a man, however. This included the International Boxing Association and the World Boxing Organization.

The IBA disqualified the boxer at the 2023 world championships with IBA President Umar Kremlev saying at the time that Khelif had "XY chromosomes."

The WBO's István Kovács said, "The result of the gender test ... clearly revealed that the Algerian boxer is biologically male."

After the Olympics, Khelif still denied any possibility of being a man and even filed hate speech complaints in France against names like Elon Musk and author J.K. Rowling over "alleged acts of aggravated cyber harassment."

It wasn't until November when a journalist acquired medical documents that stated Khelif has testicles, a penis, and XY chromosomes. A pelvic MRI also reportedly revealed the "absence of a uterus."

Despite this report, Khelif has still been reported on as a female, telling reporters that "based on unverified information, [critics] attacked a young girl who was just there to realize her dream."

According to the Daily Mail, an endocrinologist involved in the report said his name was being used to disseminate an anti-trans agenda but also did not deny the claims made in his report.

Algeria's Imane Khelif smiles before exiting the ring following a 46-second victory against Italy's Angela Carini.Photo by MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images

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