Second boxer in gender dispute reaches Games final
Lin Yu-ting, one of two boxers at the centre of a gender dispute at the Paris Olympics, moved a step closer to the Olympic title when she beat Turkey's Esra Yildiz by unanimous decision in the women's featherweight semi-finals on Thursday morning. Lin, twice world champion, and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif have been in the spotlight at the Olympics over a gender row that has dominated headlines and been the subject of much discussion on social media platforms. The 28-year-old Lin, who is looking to clinch Chinese Taipei's first Olympic title in boxing, faces Poland's Julia Szeremeta in the final on Saturday. "The feeling of entering the gold-medal match is one of gratitude to myself for making it this far," Lin told reporters. Lin and Khelif were disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi, with the body saying in a press conference on Monday that a gender test had ruled both of them ineligible. The two boxers are competing in the Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the IBA of its status as the sport's governing body in 2023 and took control of organising the boxing in Paris. At these Games, the IOC is using boxing eligibility rules that were applied at the 2016 and 2021 Olympics which do not include gender testing. Lin used her longer reach to keep her Turkish opponent at bay, landing several jabs, but Yildiz would not back down and tried to break through. Having lost the first two rounds, the Turk went all in during the last one and landed a right hook, but it was too little, too late to turn the tide in a one-sided affair. (Reuters)