Lin Yu Ting made Olympic history by winning gold in the women’s featherweight division. The Taiwanese boxer, who faced gender-related controversies, triumphed over Poland’s Julia Szeremeta, securing her first Olympic gold. Lin and fellow boxer Imane Khelif had previously been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the IBA.
Lin reached the finals by defeating Turkey’s Yildiz Kahraman, who expressed her frustration with an “XX” sign during their match. In the championship fight, the 28-year-old Lin dominated Julia Szeremeta, leaving the Polish boxer bloodied and with a silver medal.
Lin won 5-0 in three sets at Roland Garros on Saturday at the Olympics, celebrating by kissing the mat. Her height advantage made it difficult for Szeremeta to land strong punches.
“I feel incredible…I want to thank everyone who has supported me, and thanks to my team and everyone in Taiwan. They gave me the power,” she told media persons after winning the gold.
“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,” she added.
Lin faced multiple protests from her opponents during the match. In both the semifinal and quarterfinal, her rivals made an “XX” gesture with their index fingers, seemingly alluding to female chromosome symbols.
After the match, Khelif responded strongly to criticisms about her eligibility and gender status, especially concerning the now-banned IBA. “I have been boxing under their organization since 2018…they hate me and I don’t know why. I send them a single message: with this gold medal, my dignity, my honour is above everything else,” she said.
The gender identities of both Yu-Ting and Khelif came under scrutiny after they were disqualified from the 2023 World Championships for not passing gender identity tests.