“Are you really a woman?” Dominant gold even after moving up in weight class; boxer Lin Yu-ting, amid gender controversy: “I wasn’t afraid of dying…” [Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games]

*This content was translated by AI.

Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (31), who has not fully shaken off gender controversy despite rising to the top of the world boxing rankings, secured a dominant victory at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after moving up in weight class.

Lin Yu-ting won the gold medal by defeating Yang Qing-wei (China) via a unanimous 5-0 decision from the judges in the women’s 60 kg boxing final at the games, held on the 2nd at Nishio Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

She is a boxer who finds it difficult to find an opponent in her weight class. Lin Yu-ting, who won the women’s 57 kg title at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, also claimed victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Although she competed one weight class higher at this tournament, there was once again no boxer capable of stopping Lin Yu-ting.

Her androgynous appearance combined with her dominant results ironically became a catalyst for intensifying gender controversy surrounding her.

The baseless conspiracy theories are not entirely unfounded. In March 2023, the International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified Lin Yu-ting and Imane Khelif (Algeria) at the World Championships because both athletes failed to meet gender eligibility testing criteria.

She also stood at the center of controversy during the Paris Olympics in summer 2024. However, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the IBA of its authority over Olympic boxing and did not recognize the results of tests conducted on them, she was able to compete in the tournament.

In particular, the IOC’s reasoning for her eligibility was that Lin Yu-ting was born female, has lived as a woman, and is listed as female on her passport. Subsequently, both Lin Yu-ting and Khelif proudly hung gold medals around their necks in the 57th kg and 66 kg categories, respectively.

According to AFP News Agency, Lin Yu-ting considered retiring after the Paris Olympics but continued her athletic career to stand up against the suspicious gazes directed at her. She once again reached the pinnacle with overwhelming skill even after moving up in weight class.

Taiwanese media outlet Now News reported, “Lin Yu-ting endured intense questioning from foreign media during this tournament, but her responses were calm yet resolute.” The outlet explained that she stated, “The fact that I can stand on the ring itself proves everything, and there is no longer a need to explain myself to anyone. She added that she was the one who truly wanted to participate in the competition, and all she does is do her best to prove her skills.”

On this day as well, she leveraged the strength of her long reach to dominate Yang Qing-wei and claim the top spot. This marks her second consecutive Asian Games title. Reflecting on the past regarding this gold medal, which she described as having “monumental significance,” she said, “I wanted to pack my bags and go home immediately. I no longer held any hope.”

It was Coach Cheng Tzu-chang who kept her going. Lin Yu-ting expressed, “I am truly grateful to my coach, who always believed in me and believed that good things would happen.”

Regarding the reason for moving up in weight class, she stated, “It is because I was not afraid of dying.” She added, “People all want to see a different side of you. Since I had already achieved solid results in the 57th kg category, I wanted to challenge myself with something new and see how far I could go.”

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*This content was translated by AI.