VILLEPINTE, France — Boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan secured her first Olympic medal on Sunday, cheered on by a crowd chanting her name. This comes just one day after fellow boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria also achieved a medal following days of online harassment and scrutiny surrounding their participation at the Paris Games.
Lin triumphed over Svetlana Kamenova Staneva of Bulgaria by a score of 5:0 in a women’s 57-kilogram quarterfinal, securing a spot in the semifinals and guaranteeing at least a bronze medal.
Both Lin and Khelif have found themselves at the center of a controversy regarding gender identity and sports regulations. Critics have raised concerns about their disqualification from the world championships last year, citing unspecified eligibility tests for women’s competition that the International Boxing Association (IBA) claimed they failed.
Lin, who will face Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey at Roland-Garros on Wednesday, expressed her ambition to continue striving for a gold medal. She refrained from mentioning the online scrutiny she faced in recent days, explaining that she had deactivated her social media accounts before her first Olympic bout.
“I want to thank all the supporters from Taiwan,” she said.
Immediately after the fight, Staneva seemingly walked past Lin. However, after the referee announced the decision and raised Lin’s hand in victory, Staneva approached and sat on the rope on Lin’s side, opening the rope for her to exit the ring.
Staneva, a veteran amateur boxer at 34 years old, had narrowly lost to Lin in the semifinals of the 2023 world championships in India. The IBA ultimately declared the victory a no contest, citing Lin’s failure of the unspecified eligibility test.
The IBA, subject to a ban from Olympic participation since 2019 due to concerns raised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding its administration of competitions and financial transparency, has refused to provide details about its tests, claiming the information is confidential.
Despite the outcry, both Lin and Khelif have received support from their respective countries. The controversy has even drawn comments from former U.S. President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, and others who have made false claims about their gender identity, alleging they are male or transgender.
Khelif was greeted with enthusiastic cheers throughout her emotional victory over Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary on Saturday night. Many supporters at North Paris Arena waved Algerian flags and shouted her name. She wiped away tears at the end of the match and wept as she left the arena.
Before and after Sunday’s bout, Lin bowed to the crowd, looking up at the cheering supporters before embracing her coaches and exiting the ring.
On Friday, Lin received support from former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on social media after her first fight, a 5:0 win over Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan.
“When I met boxer Lin Yu-ting, I saw an athlete who is fearless in the face of challenges, whether they come from inside or outside the ring,” Tsai wrote. “Today, when she represents Taiwan on the Olympic stage, we will be behind her & all the Taiwanese Olympians making us proud.”
Lin is competing in her third Olympics and holds two world champion titles with the IBA (2018 and 2022). She has been involved in elite-level amateur boxing for a decade. Neither Lin nor Khelif, who is 25 and a six-year veteran, had faced sanctions prior to last year’s world championships.