Olympic boxer reveals painful abuse she faced after quitting controversial fight against Imane Khelif in Paris

Angela Carini, 26, from Italy, says online hate has “destroyed her career.” She quit her fight with Imane Khelif of Algeria at the Paris Olympics on August 1, 2024. The match ended after only 46 seconds.

Carini said Khelif’s first punches hurt too much. This week, Carini posted a video on Instagram from her home in Naples. In it, she showed screenshots of messages she has received since the fight. She said the abuse broke her and left her in silence for months.

Olympic Boxer Angela Carini opens up about online abuse after Paris 2024 Olympics fight

On Friday, September 12, 2025, Carini opened up about the hate she has faced. She showed messages where people begged her not to go to the Olympics again. Others called her “a coward” and “the shame of Italy.”Angela Carini spoke with tears in her voice. She asked: “Have you ever wondered how hard it was for me to face these words?” She said she endured them day after day in silence.

She explained that many people online write without thinking. “For them it’s just a word, just fun, just following the crowd,” she said. But for her, those words cut deep.Carini said the comments felt like wounds that never heal. “It is like carrying an infected wound that bleeds and hurts,” she explained.

She believes her years of work, training, and passion were ruined by this abuse.

Imane Khelif’s Olympic gold and Angela Carini’s boxing comeback in December 2024

At the Paris Olympics, Imane Khelif went on to win the gold medal. Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting also won gold in another category, as debates over boxing rules grew.Also Read: Aryna Sabalenka’s boyfriend Georgios Frangulis steals attention with sweet reaction to her twin US Open and Australian Open trophiesCarini, however, stepped away from the spotlight. She stayed home in Italy with her family, trying to heal. She said she rebuilt herself “in small pieces.”By December 2024, Carini returned to the ring. She won her eighth Italian title and also claimed a gold medal at the World Boxing Cup in Poland.Angela Carini admitted that coming back was not easy. The abuse had shaken her confidence. But she pushed through and won again. Still, she says the scars remain. “A word, a gesture, a comment can hurt and destroy a person,” she warned.