Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting secured her first Olympic medal in front of a cheering crowd at the Paris Games on Sunday, a day after Algerian boxer Imane Khelif claimed another following days of online abuse and questions about her participation.
Lin defeated Bulgarian Svetlana Kamenova Staneva in the featherweight division (57 kilograms in women’s boxing), scoring her second consecutive victory by unanimous decision. She advanced to the semi-finals, thereby securing at least the bronze medal.
Lin and Khelif have captured international attention in a heated debate over gender identity and sports regulation.
La, who will face Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman at Roland Garros on Wednesday, said her goal is to go further and win the gold medal. She did not comment on the turmoil of recent days and indicated that she turned off her social media before her first fight.
“I want to thank everyone who supports me in Taiwan,” he said.
Staneva appeared to walk past Lin after the fight, but after the referee announced the decision and raised Lin’s hand as the winner, Staneva stepped forward and lifted the rope on her opponent’s side so Lin could exit the ring.
Staneva, a 34-year veteran of amateur competition, lost a close fight to Lin in the semi-finals of the 2023 world championships in India. The International Boxing Association (IBA) decided to annul the result, saying Lin had failed an eligibility test. The IBA has found itself ostracised by the Olympic movement following a series of scandals.
Several figures, including former US President Donald Trump and “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling, have falsely claimed that Khelif is male or transgender.
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have warned that intolerant comments could put athletes from that community and even women in general at risk, during a Paris Games that has advocated for inclusion and has already generated other controversies, such as that surrounding the opening ceremony due to the performance of drag queens and alleged allusions to Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Last Supper.”
Lin also received support from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on social media on Friday when she beat Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova 5-0 in her debut.
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