OLYMPICS/Taiwan boxer Lin Yu-ting wins 1st bout, reaches Olympic quarterfinals

Paris, Aug. 2 (CNA) Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) opened her Olympic Games in Paris on Friday with a victory in the round of 16 in the women's 57-kg division, amid ongoing questions over gender issues.

Lin, 28, the gold medalist at the Asian Games in China last year, won the fight against 22-year-old Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan 5-0 on points.

The five judges all scored the second and third rounds in Lin's favor, while four of the five gave her the edge in the first round.

Despite renewed questions over her gender eligibility over the past couple of days, stemming from her disqualification at the International Boxing Association World Championships in March 2023, Lin's performance showed that she has not been affected by the unwanted spotlight, said her coach Tseng Tzu-chiang (曾自強).

"We respect the opinions of any media, but we have been approved to participate in the Games," he said. "Why do people always keep bringing up these crazy things. Can't everybody just focus on her [Lin's] outstanding performances?"

Tseng was happy, however, with the way the first bout went.

"This is actually our first ever victory at an Olympic Games," Tseng said, a reminder that Lin was ousted in the Tokyo Games in her first bout.

Lin will next face Scetlana Staneva of Hungary in the quarterfinals scheduled for Sunday.