Italian boxer speaks out over online abuse since Olympic bout against Khelif
NAPLES, Italy: 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.