Lin Yu-ting advances to gold-medal Olympic bout, excelling amid misconceptions about her gender

PARIS -- Boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan has advanced to the gold-medal bout in the women’s featherweight division, winning her third consecutive bout while dealing with widespread scrutiny regarding misconceptions about her gender at the Paris Olympics.

One day after welterweight Imane Khelif of Algeria reached the women's welterweight final with a third straight victory in Paris, Lin defeated Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey 5:0 on Wednesday night for her third win.

Lin will fight for gold on Saturday, taking on Julia Szeremeta of Poland.

“I will use everything I’ve learned in my life to do my best in the next match,” Lin said through an interpreter.

Lin and Khelif both have won every round in all three of their Olympic bouts despite the massive distractions created by the fallout from the Olympic-banished International Boxing Association’s decision last year to disqualify both fighters from the world championships for allegedly failing an eligibility test.

Both fighters have responded to this unwelcome spotlight by making two of the best tournament runs of their lengthy amateur careers. Just like Khelif, Lin has never been a dominant champion in her sport, but that hasn’t stopped many observers from casting both as unstoppable boxing machines during the Olympics because the IBA disqualified them last year.

In fact, the 28-year-old Lin is a veteran amateur boxer who won world championships in 2018 and 2022 during a solid decade in the top level of the sport. She has now bounced back from an opening-round exit in Tokyo to become a medal winner in Paris.

“The feeling of entering the gold-medal match is one of gratitude to myself for making it this far," Lin said. “After going out in the first round of the Tokyo Olympics, it’s been a tough journey to reach the finals.”

Lin is usually taller and more slender than her opponents, and she earns most of her victories through solid technique and savvy use of her reach rather than power. That's exactly how she beat Kahraman, who attempted to force a more physical fight while Lin patiently picked her apart, mostly from distance.

After Kahraman hugged Lin and held open the ropes to allow Lin to leave the ring at Roland Garros in a typical boxing gesture of sportsmanship, Lin clapped, waved and bowed to the cheering crowd several times while leaving the floor.

While Khelif gave an exclusive interview last weekend to SNTV, a sports video partner of The Associated Press, and then spoke briefly in the mixed zone after her semifinal victory Tuesday, Lin has made little public comment about those attempting to involve her in controversy.

She has received ample support from outside the Olympics, even from former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen — and when Lin thrust one glove in the air and walked to the ring for the opening bout on Court Philippe Chatrier, she received loud cheers from a huge crowd with pockets of roaring, flag-waving fans.

“Thank you to all the supporters who have supported and encouraged me along the way,” Lin said. "I will give my utmost effort to repay them at the final.”

Both Lin and Khelif have been cheered constantly during their time in the Olympic boxing rings, first in suburban Villepinte and then at this famed clay-court tennis complex.

Lin controlled her first two fights in Paris against opponents from Uzbekistan and Bulgaria despite starting relatively slowly in both bouts. She did it again when she fought Kahraman, who is more physically strong than Lin, but perhaps not as skilled.

Kahraman immediately tried to bring the fight to Lin, muscling and charging forward to get inside Lin’s persistent jab and winging shots. Lin did enough to win the round on all five judges’ cards, but she also slipped and tumbled to the canvas midway through the round after a physical collision.

Both fighters heedlessly exchanged shots early in the second round, thrilling the crowd. Lin received a warning for throwing punches to the back of the head after Kahraman lunged past her, drawing whistles from the crowd.

Lin will fight for gold against the 20-year-old Szeremeta, who rallied with a dominant third round for a 4:1 victory over Nesthy Petecio of the Philippines. While Lin lost to Petecio in the Tokyo Olympics, Lin and Szeremeta have never met in the ring.

Khelif will take on Yang Liu of China in the women’s 75-kilogram final on Friday night.

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