Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) emerged as Olympic champion in the women’s 57kg (featherweight) division on Saturday in Paris (Sunday in Taipei), despite facing online abuse due to gender misconceptions over the past two weeks.
Lin defeated Julia Szeremeta of Poland by a unanimous 5-0 decision to clinch the gold, completing a long journey of redemption after being eliminated from the Tokyo Games in 2021 in her opening bout.
Lin, who has been competing in women’s events since her boxing debut in September 2013, is the first Taiwanese boxer to win gold, after three other Taiwanese female boxers earned bronze medals in their respective divisions in Tokyo and Paris.
Photo: REUTERS
No male boxer from Taiwan ever medaled at the Games.
Lin and Imane Khelif of Algeria were caught in a firestorm of gender scrutiny during the Games as tensions between the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) intensified.
The IBA was suspended from running the Olympic boxing competition in 2019 and stripped of its Olympic credentials last year due to governance issues and a lack of transparency.
Photo: CNA
However, that did not stop it from alledging during the Olympics that Lin and Khelif should not be competing in the women’s boxing event in Paris.
Its accusations stem from its disqualification of Lin and Khelif at the IBA Women’s World Championships last year for failing undisclosed gender eligibility tests, which the IOC has criticized.
The IOC said that the two boxers were “victims of sudden and arbitrary decisions by the IBA” and over the past two weeks repeatedly affirmed the eligibility of both athletes for the Games, citing their passports and being identified as female since birth.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Saturday’s victory saw Lin silencing the noises from outside the ring.
After her victory, Lin kissed the mat and was visibly emotional during the medal ceremony as Taiwan’s national anthem played.
“From the moment I started boxing until now, all the hardships of training came rushing back,” she said.
Photo: AFP
“I teared up because winning this medal for my country means so much. So many people in Taiwan have believed in me and supported me,” she added.
Addressing the recent scrutiny she faced over misconceptions about her gender, Lin said she had avoided social media throughout the competition, choosing to focus solely on her performance and leaving other matters in the hands of her coach.
“As a top athlete, it is crucial to stay focused on the game,” she said. “All I need to know is who my opponent is and how to prepare for the next match.”
Photo: CNA
Lin said she is incredibly honored to win Taiwan’s first Olympic boxing gold medal, and vowed to continue pushing herself.
“I believe I am here for a special purpose, and I will continue to work hard,” she said.
With the latest accomplishment, the 28-year-old fighter achieved a “grand slam” in her amateur boxing career, adding to her two world championships, two Asian championships and one Asian Games gold.
President William Lai (賴清德) on Facebook yesterday congratulated her for winning the gold medal despite facing “malicious attacks” from the IBA.
Lai highlighted the widespread excitement across the nation after Lin’s victory.
“I believe all of us in Taiwan are as thrilled as I am, and we are proud of Lin Yu-ting,” he said.
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) also congratulated Lin on Facebook.
“We are so proud of her hard-won and remarkable achievements,” it said.
“Her perseverance and positive attitude were an inspiration to us all. She has shown the world her incredible talent and resilience and brought honor to Taiwan,” it added.
See stories on pages 2 and 7
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
RSS