Lin Yu-ting takes bronze at Asian Boxing Championships

Taipei, April 6 (CNA) Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷), Taiwan's first Olympic boxing gold medalist, claimed bronze in the women's 60-kilogram division at the 2026 Asian Boxing Elite Boxing Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, after a semifinal loss on Monday.

Competing in her first international tournament since the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lin lost 4-1 to North Korea's Won Un Gyong.

Lin leveled the bout in the second round, but Won edged the third, with all five judges scoring it 10-9 in her favor.

Overall, four judges scored the contest 29-28, including one for Lin and three for Won, while the fifth judge gave all three rounds to Won.

Lin's loss followed that of her compatriot Guo Yi-xuan (郭怡萱), who also fell in the women's 51kg semifinals, leaving Taiwan with two bronze medals at the championships so far.

Tseng Tzu-chiang (曾自強), Lin's coach, said Won's more aggressive style may have swayed the judges, while emphasizing the value of the experience.

"After all, this is our first time competing in the 60-kg division after the Olympics. The opponents' skills, strategies and styles are all new to us, so we used this opportunity to observe and learn," he said.

Lin won Taiwan's first Olympic boxing gold in the women's 57-kg division in Paris, despite a gender eligibility dispute that ultimately saw her backed by the International Olympic Committee.

She had been sidelined from international competition amid shifting dynamics in the sport and geopolitical tensions, before World Boxing confirmed her eligibility for World Boxing events in late March.

Tseng said Lin is still regaining form after the long break, with her main target set on the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games later this year.

"It's not bad that we lost this time. At least it means we have room for improvement," he said.