Gender row boxer pockets Asiad gold

NAGOYA, Japan (AFP) — Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting, the Olympic champion who found herself embroiled in a major gender row in the Paris Olympics in 2024, won the gold medal in the Asian Games on Wednesday.

Lin beat China’s Yang Chengyu 5-0 in the women’s 60-kilogram final in Nagoya, giving her a second Asian Games gold after winning in the 570-kg class in Hangzhou three years ago.

The 30-year-old was backed by a small pocket of vocal Taiwanese supporters in the cosy Nishio Gymnasium.

Towering over her opponent, Lin used her superior reach to take control of the bout and had a clear advantage heading into the third and final round.

She held off a late assault from Yang to take gold, celebrating with the minimum of fuss.

Lin told AFP 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 and Imane Khelif of Algeria were disqualified from the 2023 world championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after the organization said they failed unspecified gender eligibility tests.

However, the International Olympic Committee allowed them to compete in Paris, saying they were victims of “a sudden and arbitrary decision” by the widely discredited IBA. Both went on to win gold.

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.

Wu beat Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Tam 5-0.