Imene Khelif, Algeria boxer who had gender test issue, wins first Olympic fight when opponent quits after just 46 seconds

Imane Khelif's disqualification from the 2023 world championships sparks controversy over gender eligibility in Olympic boxing.

Imane Khelif of Algeria won her opening Olympic boxing bout on August 1 when opponent Angela Carini of Italy quit after just 46 seconds.

Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 world championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test, and her presence at the Paris Olympics has become a divisive issue.

Carini and Khelif exchanged only a few punches before Carini walked away and abandoned the bout — an extremely unusual occurrence in Olympic boxing. Carini's headgear apparently became dislodged at least once before she quit. Carini didn't shake Khelif's hand after the decision was announced but cried in the ring on her knees.

Afterward, a still-tearful Carini said she quit because of intense pain in her nose after the opening punches. Carini, who had a spot of blood on her trunks, said she wasn't making a political statement and was not refusing to fight Khelif.

“I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said enough,' because I didn't want to, I didn't want to, I couldn't finish the match," Carini said.

Carini further said she is not qualified to decide whether Khelif should be allowed to compete, but she had no problem fighting her.

“I am not here to judge or pass judgment,” Carini said. "If an athlete is this way, and in that sense it's not right or it is right, it's not up to me to decide. I just did my job as a boxer. I got into the ring and fought. I did it with my head held high and with a broken heart for not having finished the last kilometer.”