Olympic boxer Angela Carini has broken her social media silence following her controversial bout with Imane Khelif.
Carini was defeated by Khelif via early stoppage in the round of 16 of the women's 66kg boxing category at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
After the fight, the Italian boxer spoke to the media, saying that she had stopped for fear of her own health after Khelif had the hardest punch she had ever felt.
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The comments sparked fierce debate online regarding Khelif's eligibility to compete at the Games, as it was discovered that she had previously been disqualified from last year's World Championships due to the results of an unspecified eligibility test.
And now, five weeks after the bout, Carini has broken her social media silence with a cryptic post on Instagram.
Posting on her Instagram, she wrote: "Many times a person needs to close themselves in order to meditate and find the answers inside their own soul.
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"Yes, she needs to create a shield, sort of armour that protects us from the evil we receive daily.
"Today I rise, with serenity and courage, looking forward to the future, toward my new goals, which I will achieve with my own strength, as I always did.
"I thank all the people who have been close to me, I thank my family who supported me and transmitted that warmth to me, which in these cases serves and becomes your care, but above all I thank all those criticisms that will be a point of strength and growth from which start again.
"So once again I look in the mirror with a smile, I pat myself on the back and turn my eyes to the future, to face everything with love and serenity. Angela ♥️"
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Carini has not spoken out much about what happened at the Olympics but, after seeing the amount of debate caused by her comments and the impact it was having on Khelif, she did release a statement apologising to her opponent.
She said: "All this controversy makes me sad, I'm sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.
"I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke."
Ben McCrum