Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting has secured a bronze medal at the Asian Boxing Elite Championships, marking her first competition since a gender-eligibility dispute overshadowed her Olympic gold medal-winning performance at the 2024 Paris Games. The 30-year-old, who moved up to the 60kg division after winning Olympic gold in the 57kg category, lost to North Korea's Won Un Gyong in the semifinals on Monday, finishing with bronze.

Lin's coach, Tseng Tzu-chiang, told Taiwan's Central News Agency: "After all, this is our first time competing in the 60kg division after the Olympics. The opponents' skills, strategies, and styles are all new to us, so we used this opportunity to observe and learn."

Lin opted not to compete in the world championships last year after the governing body, World Boxing, announced that women boxers would have to undergo mandatory sex testing as part of a new eligibility policy. The policy was introduced a year after Lin and Algerian Imane Khelif both won gold in Paris amid a gender dispute.

Last month, Lin was cleared to compete in the female category by World Boxing following an appeal from Taiwan's federation, paving the way for her return at the Asian championships in Mongolia. Tseng said the boxer has her sights set on competing at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, later this year.

"Yu-ting hasn't competed in a long time, and it was evident that her physical condition wasn't quite up to par. Losing this time isn't a bad thing; at least there's room for improvement and a clear path forward," he added.

Source: www.aljazeera.com