Upon briefly continuing, Carini returned to her coaches again, ultimately surrendering with 2:14 remaining in the first round. Following her commanding performance, Khelif expressed her ambitions: “I’m here for the gold—I fight everybody.” She later shared a photo of her victory on Instagram but restricted comments after receiving hostile feedback on previous posts.
In contrast, Carini was visibly emotional after the match and gave a teary-eyed post-fight interview in Italian. “I couldn’t finish the match. I felt a sharp pain in my nose,” Carini said via translation.
“I thought, ‘For my experience and maturity as a woman, I hope my country won’t be disappointed. I hope my father won’t be disappointed.’ But I stopped. I decided to stop for myself because it could have been the fight of my life, but I needed to protect myself in that moment.”
Khelif’s next match is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 3. A victory would guarantee her at least a bronze medal.
