Italian boxer speaks out over online abuse since Olympic bout against Khelif

NAPLES, Italy (AP) — Italian boxer Angela Carini says the online abuse she’s received since her Olympic fight against Imane Khelif last year has “destroyed her career.”

Carini tearfully quit her opening bout with Khelif of Algeria at the Paris Olympics after just 46 seconds, going on to explain afterward that she took the extremely unusual decision because of the pain from her opponent’s opening punches.

On Friday, Carini published a video on Instagram with screenshots of messages she has received on social media — some begging her not to go to the Olympics again, others calling her “a coward” and “the shame of the Italy team” — and a voiceover of the 26-year-old explaining how she felt.

“Have you ever wondered how hard it was for me to face these words? What I had to endure and endure day after day? What I had to face in my silence, while preserving my health from a stupid social network, from people who speak and say words without thinking twice?” Carini said.

“Because for them it’s just a sentence, it’s just a word, it’s just fun, it’s just wanting to follow the crowd.”

Khelif won the Olympic gold amid international scrutiny on her and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, another gold medal winner.

Both fighters were allowed to compete by the IOC after being disqualified from the 2023 world championships by the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association. The IBA claimed the women failed unspecified eligibility tests.

However, the IOC applied sex eligibility rules used in previous Olympics and said Khelif and Lin passed.

‘An infected wound’

Carini’s actions fueled a discussion far beyond Paris about whether Khelif should have been allowed to compete, with (then former) U.S. President Donald Trump and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni speaking out.

“For many it is easy to forget the past, but for me it wasn’t,” Carini continued. “That past that marked my life. That past that left wounds inside me that I try to heal day after day, but like an infected wound, it bleeds and hurts.

“That past that changed and destroyed my career, built year after year with sacrifices, dedication, tenacity and a lot of passion … That career that is underestimated and belittled by those who preferred to have a laugh for a few moments, preferred to throw the stone.”

Carini won silver medals at the world and European championships in 2019. She lost her opening fight at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

After Paris, Carini said she closed herself “in silence” with her family and “tried to rebuild (herself) in small pieces.”

Carini returned to the ring in December, winning her eighth Italian title and gold at the World Boxing Cup in Poland.

“Putting all the disappointment aside, I got back into that ring, reconfirming myself as Italian champion and bringing home medals from important international tournaments,” Carini said. “Getting back into that ring was a tough challenge.

“These words of mine will not change the world, I will not make people become kinder. But at least I invite everyone to reflect … A word, a gesture, a command can hurt and destroy a person.”

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AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing