Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting collapses after winning Olympic gold

PARIS (AP) — Lin Yu-ting tried to remain calm and collected during the Olympic Games in Paris boxing tournament, even though it seemed that most people in the world were vilifying her, misrepresenting her and questioning her true nature.

The flyweight turned off her social media, continued training and focused on racking up win after win.

But as she stood on the highest podium at Roland Garros with a gold medal around her neck and heard the Taiwanese national anthem, Lin suddenly burst into tears.

She cried not only for the chaos of the past two weeks, but for her life in boxing, which culminated in this gold medal victory over previously unimaginable challenges.

“I saw images flashing before my eyes and I thought about the beginning of my career when I started boxing,” Lin said. “All those difficult training sessions, the times I got injured, the opponents I fought. All those images flashed through my mind. There were times of great pain. There were times of great joy. I cried because I was so moved.”

Lin completed her dominance in her division on Saturday night, after Imane Khelifs a day earlier, gave a brilliant response to the intense criticism that both fighters faced in the ring and around the world because of misconceptions about their being women.

Lin defeated Poland’s Julia Szeremeta 5-0 in the final to cap her four-fight unbeaten run in Paris by winning Taiwan’s first Olympic boxing gold medal.

On Friday, Khelif wins Algeria’s first medal in women’s boxing with a convincing victory in the welterweight division final, defeating Yang Liu of China.

Both fighters continued to endure an avalanche of criticism and uninformed speculation about their gender during the paris tournament to deliver the best performance of their boxing career.

“Not every fight is easy,” Lin said. “Going 5-0 may seem easy, but behind it is a lot of practice and hard work.”

World leaders, celebrities and online critics tried to shift the focus from the boxers’ years of dedication.

The opponents questioned their eligibility to compete in women’s events or falsely claimed to be men, forcing both women to play unwelcome leading roles in a debate about changing attitudes toward gender identity and safety regulations in sports.

Lin said she minimized this potentially huge distraction by almost not hearing about it at all. She also said she will talk to her team about whether to pursue legal action against some of the claims.

“As a top athlete, it’s important to shut myself off from social media during the competition,” she said. “That’s incredibly important. Of course, I heard some of the noise or news articles through my coach, but I didn’t pay too much attention to it. And I was invited by the IOC to participate in the Games. That’s what I focused on.”

Both fighters were disqualified from last year’s world championships organized by the International Boxing Association, a Russian-dominated governing body which has not been featured at the Olympic Games since 2019.

The IBA said they failed a suitability test for the women’s competitionbut it has struggled to defend its claims since they resurfaced at the Olympics, occasionally giving contradictory information or saying it had been asked by national boxing associations not to provide details. That hasn’t stopped criticism and speculation from raging online, fueled by Russian disinformation networks.

The two boxers’ opponents included former US President Donald Trump, Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Their presence in Paris became a weapon in a largely Western culture clash over the appropriateness of women’s sports.

Khelif said a gold medal would be the “best answer” to the controversy. Both fighters got the final say in Paris, though the chatter and scrutiny could continue for the rest of their careers.

Lin wasn’t as dominant or dynamic as Khelif in Paris, but she steadily rolled towards the final as the top seed in the women’s 57-kilogram division. The 5-foot-9 (1.75 meter) Lin is typically taller and leaner than her opponents, and she uses those advantages to pick them apart with skill and angles, rather than strength or power.

That’s exactly what Lin did to Szeremeta after he entered the ring on Saturday to loud cheers and dozens of Olympic-style Chinese Taipei flags flying in the stands as millions of others cheered at home.

Lin used her long left jab from the start, keeping the 20-year-old Szeremeta at bay and setting up combinations. Lin’s hands were quicker and more active and she dominated the first two rounds with a plethora of clear strikes.

Lin sailed to victory, artfully dodging a couple of Szeremeta’s slow punches without countering in the final minute. Szeremeta had a bloodied face and a bump under her right eye when the fight ended.

After raising her hand and holding the ropes open for Szeremeta’s departure, a typical gesture of sportsmanship in boxing, Lin walked to the center of the ring, knelt on the Paris 2024 logo and touched her head to the canvas.

After leaving the ring, Lin happily gave one of her coaches a lift. Before walking onto the podium, Lin touched her hand to her heart and raised it high above her head.

Lin, 29, has built a solid career as a top Olympic-style boxer, winning world championships in 2018 and 2022. She reached the semi-finals of last year’s world championships, but was disqualified by the IBA and stripped her of a bronze medal.

While Khelif has spoken out Lin, in the face of criticism, was more cautious in her public handling of the controversy. Her opponents in the quarterfinals and semifinals in Paris showed moderate sportsmanship outwardly, but they also made it clear that they felt Lin should not have been eligible to compete.

But Lin received an outpouring of support from the crowds in Paris and from her home country, including former President Tsai Ing-wen, who posted a message of support on social media.

“I feel great,” Lin said. “I want to thank everyone who supported me, and thank you to my team and everyone in Taiwan. They gave me the strength.”

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AP Olympic Games: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games