Lin Yu-ting wins Olympic boxing gold amid gender controversy

PARIS — Lin Yu-ting fought to remain poised and calm throughout the Paris Olympics boxing tournament, even when it seemed like most of the chattering world was maligning her, misrepresenting her and questioning the very nature of her being.

The flyweight shut off her social media, kept up her training and focused on earning one proficient victory after another.

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But when she heard Taiwan’s anthem while standing on the top podium at Roland Garros with a gold medal around her neck, Lin suddenly broke down in cathartic sobs.

READ: Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting advances to Paris Olympics gold medal bout

She cried not only for the tumult of the past two weeks, but for a lifetime in boxing that culminated in this gold-medal victory over previously unfathomable challenges.

“I saw images flashing, and I thought about the beginning of my career when I started boxing,” Lin said. “All the difficult practices, the times that I got injured, the competitors I fought against. All these images flashed in my head. There are times of great pain. There are times of great joy. I cried because I was so touched.”

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Lin completed her domination of her division Saturday night, following Imane Khelif’s lead a day earlier by giving a glittering response to the intense scrutiny faced by both fighters inside the ring and around the world over misconceptions about their womanhood.

Lin routed Julia Szeremeta of Poland 5:0 in the final, capping her four-fight unbeaten run through Paris by winning Taiwan’s first Olympic boxing gold medal.

On Friday, Khelif won Algeria’s first women’s boxing medal with a decisive victory in the welterweight division final, beating Yang Liu of China.

READ: Imane Khelif wins Olympic gold amid scrutiny over her sex

Both fighters persevered through an avalanche of criticism and uninformed speculation about their sex during the Paris tournament to deliver the best performances of their boxing careers.

“Every fight is not easy,” Lin said. “Winning 5-0 might seem easy, but behind that is a lot of practice and hard work.”

World leaders, celebrities and online critics attempted to make it about something other than the boxers’ years of work.

The detractors either questioned their eligibility to be in women’s competitions or falsely claimed they were men, forcing both women to take unwanted starring roles in a debate over changing attitudes toward gender identity and safety regulation in sports.

Lin said she minimized this potentially enormous distraction by managing to avoid learning about it almost entirely. She also said she’ll speak with her team about whether to take legal action against some of the claims.

“As an elite athlete, during the competition it’s important to shut myself off from social media,” she said. “That’s extremely important. Some of the noises or some of the news articles, of course I heard some of the information through my coach, but I didn’t pay too much mind to it. And I was invited by the IOC to participate in the Games. This is what I focused on.”

Both fighters were disqualified last year from the world championships organized by the International Boxing Association, a Russian-dominated governing body that has been banished from the Olympics since 2019.

The IBA said they failed an eligibility test for women’s competition, but it has struggled to defend its claims since they resurfaced at the Olympics, occasionally giving contradictory information or saying they were asked not to give details by the boxers’ national federations. That didn’t stop the criticism and speculation from proliferating online, stoked by Russian disinformation networks.

The two boxers’ detractors included former U.S. President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni. Their presence in Paris became a weapon in a largely Western culture clash over eligibility for women’s sports.

Khelif said a gold medal would be the “best response” to the uproar. Both fighters got the last word in Paris, although the chatter and scrutiny could persevere for the rest of their careers.

READ: Imane Khelif calls for end to bullying after gender misconceptions

Lin hadn’t been as dominant or as dynamic as Khelif in Paris, but she steadily rolled toward the final as the top seed in the women’s 57-kilogram division. The 5-foot-9 (1.75 meter) Lin is usually taller and more slender than her opponents, and she uses those advantages to pick them apart with skill and angles, rather than strength or power.

That’s exactly what Lin did to Szeremeta after taking the ring Saturday to loud cheers and dozens of Olympic-style Chinese Taipei flags waving in the stands, with millions more cheering back home.

Lin used her long left jab from the start, keeping the 20-year-old Szeremeta at bay and setting up combinations. Lin’s hands were quicker and more active, and she dominated the first two rounds with a wealth of clear blows landed.

Lin cruised to victory, artfully dodging a few of Szeremeta’s too-slow punches without countering in the final minute. Szeremeta had a bloodied face and a welt under her right eye when the bout ended.

After having her hand raised and holding open the ropes for Szeremeta’s departure in a typical boxing gesture of sportsmanship, Lin went to the center of the ring, knelt on the Paris 2024 logo and touched her head to the canvas.

After leaving the ring, Lin gleefully gave a piggyback ride to one of her coaches. Before taking the medal podium, Lin touched her hand to her heart and raised it high above her head.

The 29-year-old Lin has fashioned a solid career as a top Olympic-style boxer, winning world championships in 2018 and 2022. She reached the semifinals of last year’s world championships before the IBA disqualified her and stripped her of a bronze medal.

While Khelif has been outspoken in the face of criticism, Lin was more circumspect in her public handling of the uproar. Her quarterfinal and semifinal opponents in Paris outwardly showed moderate sportsmanship, but they also made it clear they felt Lin should have been ineligible to compete.

But Lin has been strongly backed by the Paris crowds and by her home country — including its former President, Tsai Ing-wen, who posted a message of support on social media.

“I feel incredible,” Lin said. “I want to thank everyone who has supported me, and thanks to my team and everyone in Taiwan. They gave me the power.”

Follow Inquirer Sports’ special coverage of the Paris Olympics 2024.

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