Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei, boxer from Taiwan, shakes off gender questions, wins bout to assure medal

VILLEPINTE, France — Lin Yu-ting won her quarterfinal bout at the Paris Olympics against Bulgarian Svetlana Staneva in a unanimous decision on Sunday that assured a medal for the featherweight representing Chinese Taipei.

Lin said she focused on preparing for the fight, apparently shrugging off baseless questions about her gender and eligibility to compete as a woman.

She thanked her coaches for their training and for sacrificing time away from family. The fighter also said she’s appreciative of fans back home in Taiwan and promised to return a slew of messages sent to her via social media after the Olympics.

“I especially want to thank the public from Taiwan for standing behind me and giving me support and cheering me, although I don’t have the time to respond to every message you sent,” she said after the fight.

Lin and Algeria’s Imane Khelif have faced withering scrutiny during these Olympics, based on a 2023 disqualifications by the Russian-led International Boxing Association which claimed that unspecified tests called the boxers’ gender into question. 

The IOC has staunchly defended the boxers, saying concerns over their gender are baseless. The IBA’s legitimacy has since been called into question, with USA Boxing terminating its relationship with the body last year.

In her fight on Sunday, Lin got off to a slow start against Staneva as three judges scored the first round 10-9 for the eventual winner and two others had it 10-9 for the Bulgarian.

But then all five judges scored it 10-9 for Lin in the next two rounds, securing a semifinal appearance. She’ll fight Turkey’s Esra Yıldız Kahraman on Wednesday night with that winner advancing to the gold medal round on Saturday night.

This tournament awards two bronze medals instead of a third-place match. So qualification to the semifinals means an award to take home.