Boxing at Paris 2024 (Les Jeux de la XXXIII Olympiade)

Lin Yu Ting is the other competitor in these Olympics at the center of the "IBA failed gender tests" controversy alongside Khelif, although most attention has been centered on the Algerian.

Yu Ting, like Khelif, has never claimed to be trans nor intersex - but was barred from competition by the Russian org at last year's IBA (AIBA) world championships because of testosterone levels they deemed were high enough to be proof of male sex. The president of IBA claims they did genetic testing as well but this is highly dubious and they've been tight-lipped about the particulars of what kind of test exactly, citing matters of confidentiality. Nobody except Kremlev has ever corroborated this claim. Both fighters' countries of origin as well as the IOC have determined they are biologically female.

 

Taiwanese boxer up on four of the five judges' cards.

 

30-27 x4, 29-28, UD for Lin Yu Ting

She fought tall and tied up a lot...decent but not a gold medal lock despite whatever hormonal or physique advantages.

 

Michaela Walsh (IRL) vs. Svetlana Kamenova Staneva (BUL), Women's 57kg

 

This category - women's featherweight - is the last to hold its preliminaries (Round of 16). This is the second of four morning session bouts, and there will be another set of four prelims at 2pm.

Every other division, male or female, is already into the quarter- or semifinals.

 

Walsh getting washed by the Bulgarian. Different class. Helps that Kamenova has frightening reach but Walsh doing herself no favors either - rushing in, very predictable, impaling herself on right jabs or getting swatted aside by hooks. Barely laying a glove down herself.

 

30-27 x4, 29-28, UD for Kamenova.

One judge gave Walsh the second round.

 

Khouloud Hlimi (TUN) vs. Esra Yıldız Kahraman (TUR), Women's 57kg

 

Tale of two Islamic countries...

Yıldız Kahraman from the more progressive Turkey has bare arms, legs and throat and was allowed to come prancing out smiling and mugging for the crowd. Khouloud, from Tunisia where the constitution holds that "government is the guardian of religion", is fully covered from the neck down and meekly kept eye contact with her cornermen during intros.

 

Yıldız Kahraman hammered the southpaw Khouloud with long ramrod right hands for most of the round, when not being held.

 

20-18 x4, 20-17 all to Yıldız Kahraman.

One judge scored the first round 10-8.

 

That was just complete domination. We still have five more prelims to get through later (one next, and four in the afternoon session) but from these first three Yıldız Kahraman is my pick to medal. She's a league above Yu Ting or Kemanova.