Joe McConnell
Lin Yu-Ting finally outclassed Poland’s Julia Szeremeta to win the Olympic featherweight final at Roland Garros.
After three rounds, he earned the victory 30-27 from all five judges.
Along with Algeria’s Imane Khelif, Lin faced accusations about her fitness to box at the Games throughout the tournament. But that firestorm of controversy didn’t stop either Khelif or now Lin from winning Olympic gold.
Lin mixed aggression with long-distance boxing
The Chinese Taipei boxer said at a press conference: “As an elite athlete, it is important to isolate myself from social media and concentrate during the competition.
“Some noises and some newspaper articles, obviously I heard some information through my coach, but I didn’t pay too much attention to it.
“I was invited by the IOC to participate in the Games, I focused on the Games. As for other matters, I relied on my coach to answer questions.”
How Lin Won Gold
As the opening bell rang, Lin rushed out to claim the center of the ring, fists flying. Szeremeta, however, moved deftly under the blows. But Lin maintained that frenetic start, clearly wanting to stamp her authority on the contest and not let this opportunity slip away.
That approach paid off, as she won the first round. She parlayed that advantage into the second.
At the start of the round, Lin momentarily changed stance and switched to southpaw boxing, proving his skills.
Szeremeta again ducked, but as she got up she was met with another right backhand that hit her just wide.
The Polish, however, reacted and landed on Lin. The Taiwanese fighter then held firm to throw punches. They exchanged blows but Lin prevailed in the brief firefight and eventually supported Szeremeta.
Lin ended the round by surprising Szeremeta with a deft left hook.
Thanks to her advantage, Lin could fight and move from a distance, leaving Szeremeta to chase her and the encounter to no avail.
“Not all fights are easy. Winning 5-0 might seem easy, but there’s a lot of practice and hard work behind it,” Lin said afterwards.
She, like Algeria’s Khelif, also meets the IOC’s eligibility criteria, although both were disqualified from the 2023 World Championships, as the International Boxing Association (IBA) barred them from boxing in the women’s categories.
However, the nature of this eligibility test remains unspecified and the IBA has a number of questions about its credibility that remain unanswered. The IBA was banned from the Olympic boxing tournament by the IOC due to allegations of corruption and financial transparency.
That didn’t stop Lin and Khelif’s right to box at Paris 2024 from coming under scrutiny. But despite that pressure, Lin also managed to join Khelif as an Olympic champion.
“I feel incredible. I want to thank everyone who supported me and thank my team and everyone in Taiwan,” Lin said.
“They gave me the power.”
Khelif Files Legal Complaint for Online Harassment
Meanwhile, Khelif has filed a formal legal complaint, claiming she has been the victim of online harassment, her lawyer said on Saturday.
Khelif, who won the women’s welterweight gold medal on Friday, has been at the center of heated debate on social media along with Lin.
The 25-year-old’s lawyer, Nabil Boudi, told Reuters that the complaint was filed on Friday.
“Everything said about me on social media is immoral. I want to change the opinion of people around the world,” Khelif said on Saturday.
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