Polish boxer Julia Szeremeta won a silver medal in boxing at the Paris Olympics. The challenging fight against Lin Yu-Ting took place at the iconic Roland Garros, better known for tennis. Szeremeta lost on points to the Taiwanese “representative,” who possesses male chromosomes. The last Polish Olympic boxing medalist was Wojciech Bartnik, who won bronze in Barcelona in 1992, and the last finalist was Paweł Skrzecz in 1980.
“Just got to take him down,” joked Szeremeta before the final when asked about the gold medal, referencing her controversial opponent from Taiwan, Lin Yu-Ting, who identifies as a woman. Lin was disqualified from last year’s World Championships after the International Boxing Association (IBA) determined that the boxer failed gender tests—possessing XY chromosomes like men instead of XX like women. This disqualified Lin from competing in women’s events, but despite this, Lin was accepted into the Olympics, sparking ongoing controversy.
It’s worth noting that before being disqualified, Lin Yu-Ting had won the women’s world championship twice.
“Silver doesn’t count. I’m going for gold. My hand will be raised on Saturday. We were supposed to bring gold from Garros, so we will bring gold,” Szeremeta declared confidently before the fight. In the end, she secured the silver.
In the first round, the much shorter Szeremeta was hit in the face with an elbow, losing the round 9-10. In the second round, her “opponent” was much more passive, but still led on the judges’ cards 20-18. “War!” declared the coach before the third round, knowing Szeremeta had nothing to lose. Early in the round, the Polish fighter landed a strong left hook. After another exchange, Lin Yu-Ting hit the canvas but quickly got back up.
Julia Szeremeta stormed through the Olympic competition. Competing in the 57 kg category, she eliminated Omailyn Alcalá from Venezuela in the first round, Australia’s Tina Rahimi in the round of 16, Puerto Rico’s Ashleyann Lozada in the quarterfinals, and Nesthy Petacio from the Philippines in the semifinals.
Lin Yu-Ting, Szeremeta’s opponent, started the tournament from the round of 16, defeating Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turbidekova, Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva, and Turkey’s Esra Yildiz. After the final fight, Yildiz showed the “XX” sign to the cameras, protesting Lin Yu-Ting’s participation in the tournament.