Rhino: Agencies – Algerian Iman Khalif won her first boxing match at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Thursday, after her Italian opponent Angela Carini withdrew after just 46 seconds.

Iman had been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships after failing a sexual eligibility test, and her presence at the Paris Olympics became a controversial issue.

The Algerian Olympic Committee issued a statement on Wednesday, condemning what it called “lies” and “unethical targeting and tarnishing the reputation of our honorable athlete, Iman Khalif, with baseless propaganda from some foreign media.”

Karini and Iman exchanged only a few punches before the Italian pulled out of the bout, a highly unusual event in Olympic boxing.

Carini’s headgear apparently slipped twice before she withdrew, refused to shake Iman’s hand after the decision was announced, and cried in the ring before leaving.

Iman, an amateur who won a silver medal at the 2022 AIBA World Championships, was disqualified by the same governing body from last year’s tournament shortly before the gold medal match, due to what she claimed were elevated levels of testosterone.