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Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting Wins Gold at Asian Games, Defying Gender Controversy
Confirmed
In Short: Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who faced gender eligibility questions at the Paris Olympics, secured gold at the Asian Games in Japan.
Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who faced gender eligibility questions at the Paris Olympics, secured gold at the Asian Games in Japan on Friday. Lin, a 30-year-old Olympic champion, triumphed in the women’s 60kg category, defeating China’s Yang Chengyu with a 5-0 score.
Lin’s victory marks her second Asian Games gold medal, following her success in the 57kg class at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. She had previously considered retiring after the Paris Olympics but decided to continue fighting to prove her critics wrong.
The match took place at the Nishio Gymnasium in Nishio, southeast of Nagoya, where Lin was supported by a small but vocal group of Taiwan fans. Lin’s height and reach gave her an advantage over her opponent, allowing her to hit effectively on the counter.
Lin’s win comes two years after she was embroiled in a gender dispute at the Paris Olympics, where she and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif both won gold medals amid controversy.
The Asian Games in Japan also saw other notable victories, including China’s Wu Yu, who defended her Asian Games title in the 51kg class, and India’s Lovlina Borgohain, who won gold in the women’s 75kg category on her birthday.
What this adds
Lin’s decision to step up to the 60kg category for the Asian Games highlights her versatility and determination to compete at the highest level.
Background
Primary school student Yuki Kurihara became Japan's youngest ever Asian Games medallist, winning gold in Puyo Puyo.
India's women's cricket team retained the gold medal at the Asian Games, defeating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final held at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Tuesday.
What's confirmed
- Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting, the Olympic champion who found herself embroiled in a major gender row at Paris 2024, has won gold at the Asian Games.
- Lin told the AFP news agency before the Games that she had considered retiring after the Paris Olympics but wanted to carry on fighting in part to defy those who questioned her eligibility.
- Lin bags her second Asian Games gold medal, three years on from her success in Hangzhou in the 57kg class.
- The 30-year-old was backed by a small pocket of vocal Taiwan supporters in the Nishio Gymnasium in Nishio, southeast of Nagoya.
- She held off a late assault from Yang to take gold, celebrating with the minimum of fuss.
- Lin triumphed at 57kg in the French capital but has stepped up a weight division for the Asian Games in Japan.
- China’s Olympic champion Wu Yu also won gold, defending her Asian Games title in the 51kg class.
What's still developing
- “She is really tall and, in training, we don’t often face someone of that height so that distance can feel unfamiliar.” India’s Lovlina Borgohain gave herself a birthday present by beating China’s Bao Ziyi to win the women’s 75kg gold.