Who is Anna Luca Hamori? Hungarian Olympic boxer set to fight Imane Khelif at Paris 2024
Hungary's Hamori takes on Imane Khelif in the women’s welterweight quarter-final, with her Algerian opponent in the spotlight after being disqualified by the IBA at the 2023 World Championships for failing a gender eligibility test
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Your support makes all the difference.Imane Khelif takes on Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori in her latest fight at the Paris Olympics today following her controversial boxing match with Angela Carini.
On Thursday, Italy’s Carini quit just 46 seconds into her round-of-16 bout with Khelif after the Algerian landed one significant punch. Now Khelif, who was disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the women’s World Championships in New Delhi for failing a gender eligibility test, meets Hamori for a place in the semi-finals of the women’s welterweight (66kg) tournament.
At the same tournament last year, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting was also disqualified for failing to meet the gender eligibility criteria of the International Boxing Association (IBA). Lin competed at the Olympics on Friday and came through her first encounter with her coach revealing she felt “pressure” in the first round.
The IBA did not specify why the boxers failed their gender eligibility tests but did clarify that neither underwent testosterone examinations. Neither Khelif, 25, nor Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, a two-time world champion, identify as transgender or intersex.
IOC president Thomas Bach has maintained there was “never any doubt about them being women”. He said on Saturday: “We are talking about women's boxing. We have two boxers who were born as women, raised as women, who have passports as women and who have competed for many years as women and this is a clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being women.”
Hamori has talked up her chances against Khelif. Here’s what we know about the Hungarian boxer:
Who is Anna Luca Hamori?
Born in Szombathely, Hungary, Hamori has an overall record of 18-13, winning three contests by knockout, according to Boxrec.
The 23-year-old stands at 5ft 9in and is just one inch shorter than Khelif. She defeated Ireland's Grainne Walsh in the round of 32 before outpointing Australia's Marissa Williamson to reach the last eight.
Her partner Kreko Istvan is also a Hungarian boxer. She lost in the round of 32 at last year's World Championships, dropping a points decision to Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng.
Career highlights to date include fighting at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, while she won a silver medal at welterweight in the European Under-22 Championships, coming up short in the final to Germany's Stefanie Von Berge.
What has Hamori said about Imane Khelif?
Hamori said that she doesn’t “think it's fair” that Khelif is taking part in the women's category at the Olympics. The Hungarian Boxing Association are protesting against her participation at Paris 2024 and requested talks with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“In my humble opinion, I don't think it's fair that this contestant can compete in the women's category,” Hamori said on social media. “But I cannot concern myself with that now. I cannot change it, it's life. I can promise you one thing... I will do my best to win and I will fight as long as I can!”
Hamori said she was “not scared” of Khelif and shared a controversial image on Instagram, initially posted by another social media account, of a cartoon monster with horns toe-to-toe with a female boxer.
“I don’t care about the stories, what is going on the social media right now,” Hamori said. “I just want to stay focused on myself and I know why I came here. I want to get a medal from the Olympic Games. So I don’t care about anything. I will go to the ring and I will get my win.”
What happened in Khelif’s first fight?
Following her withdrawal against Khelif, Carini, 25, could be heard telling her coach, “It’s not right, it’s not right,” and later told reporters that she had never been hit so hard in her career.
She added: “For me, it’s not a defeat. For me, when you climb those ropes, you’re already a warrior; you’re already a winner. Regardless of everything, it’s okay, fine like this.
“I didn’t lose tonight [...] I only did my job as a fighter. I got in the ring and I fought. I didn’t make it. I’m coming out with my head held high and with a broken heart.
“I’m a mature woman. The ring is my life. I’ve always been very instinctive, and when I feel that something isn’t right, it’s not giving up. It’s having the maturity to stop, it’s having the maturity to say: ‘OK, that’s enough.’
“I got in the ring and I said: ‘I’m going to give it all I’ve got, regardless of the person in front of me, who doesn’t interest me at this moment.’ I had to give my best. So, with regard to all the controversies, I was never interested. I went in and I just wanted to win.” Speaking to the BBC, she added: “It could have been the match of a lifetime, but I had to preserve my life as well in that moment.”
What was Carini’s reaction?
Later, Carini expressed regret at her behaviour in the aftermath of the fight and said she would like to apologise to Khelif.
“All this controversy makes me sad,” said Carini in an interview with Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, according to the BBC and the Associated Press. “I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.
“It wasn’t something I intended to do [not shake her hand]. Actually, I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke. I don’t have anything against Khelif. Actually, if I were to meet her again I would embrace her.”
The 2023 women’s World Championships were run by the IBA, which is no longer recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Instead, this summer’s Olympic boxing is being run by the Paris Boxing Unit (PBU), an ad-hoc unit established by the IOC’s Executive Board.
The IOC said in a statement at the start of the tournament: “All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations in accordance with rules 1.4 and 3.1 of the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit.
“The PBU endeavoured to restrict amendments to minimise the impact on athletes’ preparation and guaranteeing consistency between Olympic Games.”