FEATURE/Lin Yu-ting's Olympic gold: Skills, dedication and a devoted coach

By Chao Yen-hsiang, CNA staff writer

All eyes were on the ring at Roland-Garros Stadium in Paris on Saturday night as the opening bell rang for the final bout of the women's 57-kilogram (featherweight) division, featuring Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) of Taiwan and Julia Szeremeta of Poland.

Many were wondering not only whether Lin would triumph, as Imane Khelif of Algeria did one day earlier in the women's 66-kg final, but what she would have to say afterward.

Over the past two weeks, the journeys of Lin and Khelif -- both disqualified from the 2023 World Championships for failing an undisclosed gender-related test -- have been intertwined because of the accusations made against them by the Russia-backed International Boxing Association (IBA).

The IBA's president called them "men," and the organization said in a statement that their presence, which was fully backed by the International Olympic Committee, threatened the "fairness and utmost integrity of the competition."

Yet their responses on their journey have revealed different approaches to handling the attention.

Silence is golden

Khelif has reiterated her femininity throughout her run and said winning gold would be "the best response" to the backlash against her, while Lin said relatively little, simply pointing to the ring as her main focus.

Unlike Khelif, who said after winning gold Friday that she is "a woman like any other woman," Lin stayed off social media and joined her coach Tseng Tzu-chiang (曾自強) in punching the mat after her victory.

Later, Tseng explained that this meant: "What occurs in the ring, we deal with in the ring."

Also noteworthy was Lin's response to Sitora Turdibekova of Bulgaria and Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey -- her opponents in the quarterfinal and semifinal bouts -- after they crossed their index fingers in an "X" sign to suggest that they have a pair of X chromosomes while Lin does not.

Rather than criticizing the act as unsportsmanlike, Lin praised them as "respectful rivals" and thanked them for putting on a great show with her for the world.

"From the first to the last bout, [Lin] always chose to overcome the world's hostility with kindness, proving herself in the ring with her skills and prowess," said Blue Wei (魏楚育), an anchor for Taiwan's ELTA TV.

Letting her skills speak

Critics like J.K. Rowling, author of the "Harry Potter" series, suggested that Khelif and Lin could overpower their opponents with their supposed strength, and some found "evidence" in Khelif's 46-second victory over Angela Carini in the round of 16 on Aug. 1.

But that was the exception on Khelif's road to gold, and a closer look at Lin's approach to her bouts shows how such misconceptions blinded people from appreciating her skill as a boxer.

At 1.75 meters in height, Lin was taller than most of her opponents in Paris, except for Svetlana Staneva of Bulgaria (also 1.75 m), who appeared physically stronger than Lin.

In those bouts, Lin typically avoided punches with her agile footwork and head movements while landing counterpunches, capitalizing on her longer wingspan.

"Lin Yu-ting's power is not particularly significant in her division," Akon Su (蘇孝肯), an advisor to the Carry Fighting Championship, Taiwan's first international pro boxing league, told CNA.

"Strength is important but not the most important factor. Skill, speed, and stamina are the keys," Su said, emphasizing that Lin's relatively long reach and skills often give her an edge.

These elements may partly stem from her admiration of two-time Olympic gold medalist Vasiliy Lomachenko of Ukraine, now a pro boxer who has won multiple world championships in three divisions, as Lin told CNA in May when asked about her idol.

"His game is not just about a one-punch knockout as people might imagine, but it involves high-level skills. I often watch his bouts and try to learn from him," Lin explained.

The devoted coach

Before Lin made a name for herself, she was just a girl who put on the gloves to protect her mother from domestic violence.

That desire motivated Lin to join a boxing club in junior high school, where she met her first and current coach Tseng.

Tseng, she said prior to the Olympics, is a "very considerate man" who cares about both the athlete and the person and has taught her many life lessons.

She did not hesitate to admit that she sees Tseng as a father figure, even joking that he is "often more nagging than my mom."

Lin said it was Tseng who raised funds for her first trip overseas, during which they visited the venue of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, "sowing a seed in my mind."

"He told me: 'Your dream depends on how big your heart is,' and that made me more determined to go beyond my limits and compete on the Olympic stage," Lin recalled.

She broke into tears on the podium in Paris Saturday as Taiwan's national flag anthem played, with moments from her 15-year boxing journey flashing before her eyes. She confessed later that Tseng's remark in Beijing was what she thought about most.

The bond between Lin and Tseng was epitomized in 2016 when Lin was ousted from a qualifying event for the Rio Olympics. With both coach and boxer in the doldrums, Tseng suggested that a new coach might help, but Lin simply said "No."

"I broached the subject, asking her if she wanted to try a different coach until the next qualifier, and we finally opened up to each other. She said, 'Coach, are you leaving me?' Even today, I still get emotional when I think about this," Tseng said.

To Tseng, Lin is a boxer who always responds well to adversity, both inside and outside the ring, and winning an Olympic gold amid the misconceptions over her gender, was proof of that.

In fact, Tseng even thanked Rowling for speaking out.

"J.K. Rowling, thank you, I [really] like you," Tseng said after Saturday's bout, referring to the author as "a truly magical writer."

"Thank you for your baseless attacks. The world has seen the pride of Taiwan because of you, and you have helped Taiwan's female boxers achieve such an amazing result."

The first step

Lin got into boxing watching George Morikawa's famous boxing manga series "Hajime no Ippo" (meaning "The First Step"), identifying with the protagonist's single-parent background and his journey.

"He first got bullied but didn't bully others in return after he picked up boxing skills, and he improved the life of his family with the prize money he won at boxing tournaments. That's what makes me think this character is truly amazing," she said.

With her Olympic gold, Lin has brought the manga's plot to life, but she said this is not her last step.

"I just live for [achieving] special things. I believe I will keep going," she said.

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