Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, who faced gender eligibility controversies at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has now secured a gold medal at the Asian Games, adding to her Olympic success.
On October 2, at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held in Nishi, Japan, Lin defeated China's Yang Chengyu by a unanimous decision of 5-0 in the women's 60kg (lightweight) final.
Among the five judges, two scored the match 30-27, while three others scored it 29-28.
Lin, who previously won gold in the 57kg (featherweight) category at both the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics, moved up a weight class for this competition. Despite the change, she achieved back-to-back gold medals at the Asian Games.
The controversy surrounding her participation in the Paris Olympics stemmed from a disqualification at the 2023 World Championships, where the International Boxing Association (IBA) claimed she did not meet gender eligibility criteria, although specific details of the testing were not disclosed.
Following this, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the IBA of its authority and directly managed the boxing events at the Paris Olympics. The IOC allowed Lin to compete, and she won the gold medal in the 57kg category.
After the Paris Olympics, World Boxing took over the international governance of boxing. In August of last year, World Boxing mandated genetic-based gender testing for all athletes.
Since the introduction of the testing, Lin had been unable to compete in several international events. However, after submitting medical documentation through the Taiwan Boxing Association and appealing, World Boxing recognized her eligibility for women's events in March of this year. The results of the tests have not been made public.
In an interview with AFP last month, Lin revealed that she considered retiring shortly after the Paris Olympics, stating, "I thought it was a good time to step back since I had achieved everything I had worked for."
Nevertheless, Lin chose to remain in the ring, asserting, "The fact that I can continue to compete is a kind of rebuttal to all the discussions that have come up before."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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