Taiwan’s Lin wins Olympic women’s boxing gold amid gender row

PARIS, France – Lin Yu-ting, one of two boxers at the heart of a gender dispute in the Paris Games, made light work of Polish opponent Julia Szeremeta to claim the women’s featherweight title on Saturday, August 10.

Lin and Algeria’s Imane Khelif, who won gold in the welterweight category on Friday, have been in the spotlight as part of a gender dispute that has dominated headlines and been the subject of much discussion on social media platforms.

The 28-year-old Lin became Taiwan’s first gold medalist in boxing, with the island having previously won only three bronze medals in the sport – two of which came at the Paris Olympics.

Lin and Khelif were disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi, with the body saying in a shambolic press conference at the Paris Games that a gender test had ruled them ineligible.

The two boxers are competing in the Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the IBA of its status as the sport’s governing body in 2023 and took control of organizing the boxing in Paris.

The IOC has rejected the results of the IBA-ordered tests as arbitrary and illegitimate, saying there was no reason to conduct them.

At these Games, the IOC is using boxing eligibility rules that were applied at the 2016 and 2021 Olympics, which do not include gender testing.

In a post on X ahead of Lin’s bout, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said the boxer was carrying “the strength of a nation.”

“She has faced adversity and senseless attacks from beyond the ring with incredible grace and unwavering courage. We’re cheering her on to the finish,” Lai added.

Using her jab to keep Szeremeta at bay, Lin landed a couple of right hooks as the Pole was looking to break the distance.

Szeremeta was full of good intentions but lacked speed and accuracy, exposing herself to a potential counter blow.

Lin also had more speed in a one-sided bout that forced Szeremeta to go all in during the last round, and the Taiwanese was just content to dodge the attacks.

Nesthy Petecio of the Philippines and Turkey’s Esra Yildiz were awarded bronze. – Rappler.com