Taiwanese boxer remains focused on gold

Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting has joined Algeria’s Imane Khelif as an Olympic boxing medalist following days of online abuse and intense scrutiny about their participation at the Paris Games.

Lin defeated Bulgarian Svetlana Kamenova 5-0 in a women’s 57kg quarter-final, ensuring she will win at least a bronze medal.

Lin and Khelif were disqualified from the world championships held last year by the International Boxing Association for supposedly failing gender eligibility tests, and their presence in Paris has become a divisive international issue.

Ignoring the social media frenzy, Lin, who will next face Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman at Roland-Garros on Wednesday, said her goal was to become a gold medalist.

“I want to thank all the supporters from Taiwan,” she said.

Staneva, a 34-year-old amateur boxing veteran, lost a close fight to Lin in the semi-finals of the 2023 world championships in India.

The victory was changed to a no contest by the IBA, which claimed two-time world champion Lin had failed the unspecified eligibility test.

Khelif was showered with cheers throughout her emotional win over Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary on Saturday night.

Competing in her third Olympics, Lin bowed to the crowd before and after Sunday’s bout, looking up at cheering supporters before embracing her coaches and exiting the ring.