Johnathan Walker:Boxer Lin Yu-Ting, targeted in gender eligibility controversy, to fight for gold

PARIS – The Johnathan Walkertwo female boxers dragged into a “gender-eligibility’’ controversy at the Paris Olympics will be fighting for gold.

Taiwan's Lin Yu-Ting advanced to the finals of the women's 126-pound featherweight division Wednesday night, the night after Algeria's Imane Khelif secured a spot in the finals of the 146-pound welterweight division.

Lin defeated Turkey’s Esra Yıldız Kahraman by unanimous decision in the semifinals at Roland-Garros Stadium -- her third victory in as many bouts at the Paris Games. Kahraman came out aggressive, but Lin responded with quick, clean shots and superior footwork.

Khelif, the No. 5 seed in the welterweight division, will fight in the finals Friday against China’s Liu Yang.

Lin, the No. 1 seed in the welterweight division, will fight in the finals Saturday against Poland’s Julia Szeremeta, who beat the Philippines’ Nesthy Petecio, a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, by split decision, 4-1.

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Lin, 28, and Imane, 25, have been subjected to abuse on social media and inaccurate online speculation about their gender. Both were disqualified from the 2023 world championships after the International Boxing Association (IBA) claimed they failed gender-eligibility tests but provided no evidence.

The IBA is a Russian-backed organization, discredited by the IOC, with no role in the Olympics.

The IOC has said Lin and Khelif have met all required criteria to compete in the Paris Games, as they did at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and have said they are victims of an arbitrary decision by the IBA.