LIN Yu-ting won’t be denied, either.
The Chinese Taipei boxer, who has been in the middle of controversy in the Paris Olympics, bagged the gold medal in the women’s 57kg division by outclassing Julia Szeremeta of Poland Sunday morning (Manila time) at the Roland Garros Arena.
Lin, 28, left no doubt she was the better fighter, as she outboxed the 20-year-old Polish for the entire three-round bout to win by unanimous decision, 5-0, and claim her first Olympic gold.
The 5-foot-9 boxer adds the breakthrough to her medal record that also includes similar wins in the World Championships, Asian Championships, and Asian Games.
Yu-ting's answer to questions
This one, though, is rather special as it came amidst serious allegations on her gender following a failed test in the world meet last year in New Delhi.
Lin, along with Imane Khelif of Algeria, were both under the microscope for the entire boxing competition in the wake of their failed gender test done during the 2023 World Championship that was sanctioned by the IBA (International Boxing Association).
Khelif on Saturday also won gold in the women’s 66kg class.
READ: Algerian boxer Imane Khelif leaves no doubt in claiming Olympic gold
The International Olympic Committee, however, had given both boxers the green light to compete in Paris, stating Lin and Khelif complied with all Olympic rules and had already competed during the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Lin said she blocked off all the noise surrounding the issue and focused on winning the gold after a failed bid in Tokyo four years ago where she was beaten by Filipino Nesthy Petecio in the Round of 16.
READ: Petecio's rival gets IOC clearance despite failed gender test
“As an elite athlete during the competition, it’s important to shut myself off from social media and to focus,” she said after the bout. “Some of the noisesand 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.”
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