LIN Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei went on with business and clinched a berth in the women’s 57 kg quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics Friday night at the North Paris Arena.
The 28-year-old former world champion let her fists do the talking inside the ring and pulled off a unanimous decision against Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan in their round-of-16 encounter.
The dominant 5-0 debut in the French capital came amid the controversy surrounding her and Algerian counterpart Imane Khelif's participation at the Olympics despite a failed gender test in the 2023 IBA World Championship in New Delhi.
READ Nesthy Petecio rallies to beat French foe, reaches quarterfinals
Unlike Khelif whose opening fight in the women’s 66 kg class was shrouded in controversy after Italian opponent Angela Carini abandoned the bout with just 46 seconds gone by in the opening round, Lin’s match against Turdibekova went on without a hitch.
The Chinese Taipei bet didn’t have trouble disposing her Uzbekistan opponent that saw her losing just a single round in the scorecard of one of the five judges during the entire three-round bout.
The win put Lin in a collision course with Petecio, who beat her on the way to a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The 32-year old Filipino rallied to beat home bet Amina Zidani, 4-1, in her own quarterfinal.
Lin was stripped of her bronze medal in last year’s world championship after the IBA (International Boxing Association) banned her and Khelif for failing a gender test.
READ IOC laments 'abuse' on boxers Imane Khelif, Lin Yu-ting
But the IOC allowed the two female boxers to compete, saying in a statement on Friday that both passed the eligibility and entry regulations and all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit, which supervises the boxing competitions in the Games.
The IOC has stripped the IBA of its status as the sport’s world governing body last June.
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