Two Boxers in Gender Outcry Clinch Medals

Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan and Imane Khelif of Algeria win quarterfinal bouts in their respective divisions
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 4, 2024 7:52 AM CDT
Two Boxers in Gender Outcry Clinch Medals
Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting celebrates after defeating Bulgaria's Svetlana Staneva in their women's 57 kg quarterfinal boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France.   (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan clinched her first Olympic medal Sunday in front of a crowd that chanted her name, one day after fellow boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria secured one as well following days of online abuse and intense scrutiny about their participation at the Paris Games. Lin bowed to the crowd before and after Sunday's bout, looking up at cheering supporters before embracing her coaches and exiting the ring, per the AP.

  • Lin defeated Svetlana Kamenova Staneva of Bulgaria 5:0 in a women's 57-kilogram (125-pound) quarterfinal, advancing to the semifinals and ensuring she will win at least a bronze medal. She will face Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey on Wednesday.

  • On Saturday, Khelif clinched a medal herself when she defeated Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary 5:0 in the quarterfinals of the women's 66-kilogram (145-pound) division, per the AP. Khelif will win at least a bronze medal after she comfortably earned the second victory of her tumultuous second trip to the Olympics.
  • IOC President Thomas Bach on Saturday defended Khelif and Lin, who were disqualified in the middle of last year's world championships by the International Boxing Association, the former governing body of Olympic boxing, after what it claimed were failed eligibility tests. The IBA has not divulged details about its testing. "Let's be very clear here: We are talking about women's boxing," Bach said. "We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women. And this is the clear definition of a woman. There was never any doubt about them being a woman."
(More 2024 Paris Olympics stories.)

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