ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — Olympic gold medalist Lin Yu-ting triumphed in her quarterfinal match at the Asian boxing championships on Friday, marking her first competition since World Boxing confirmed her gender through a gene test.
The first Olympic boxing champion from Taiwan achieved a 5-0 victory against Japan’s Ayaka Taguchi, the top-seeded competitor in the 60-kilogram lightweight category. Lin secured a perfect score of 10 from all five judges in each round.
Earlier this week, Lin defeated Thananya Somnuek of Thailand with a score of 5-0 in the opening round.
The 30-year-old Lin had not participated in international competitions since claiming the women’s 57-kilogram featherweight title at the Paris Olympics in August 2024.
World Boxing assumed the role of the Olympic-level governing body for the sport last year and introduced a sex eligibility policy in August that mandates fighters to undergo a one-time genetic test to detect the presence of a Y chromosome.
World Boxing did not confirm Lin’s eligibility until March 19.
It remains uncertain whether Lin will need to undergo additional genetic testing if she aims to compete again in the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee recently announced new regulations prohibiting transgender athletes and requiring a mandatory gene test once in an athlete’s career.
Lin and Imane Khelif of Algeria secured gold medals in Paris amidst international scrutiny and misunderstandings regarding both boxers’ sex. While both athletes complied with the eligibility criteria set by the IOC at the time of the Paris tournament, their achievements ignited a politically charged discussion about those standards.
Lin is anticipated to compete in the semifinals of the Asian tournament on Monday.
