Boxer Lin Yu-ting wins gold, following Imane Khelif to conclude an Olympics filled with scrutiny

PARIS (AP) — Lin Yu-ting fought to remain poised and calm throughout the Paris Olympics boxing tournament, even when it seemed like most of the chattering world was maligning her, misrepresenting her and questioning the very nature of her being.

The flyweight shut off her social media, kept up her training and focused on earning one proficient victory after another.

But when she heard Taiwan's anthem while standing on the top podium at Roland Garros with a gold medal around her neck, Lin suddenly broke down in cathartic sobs.

She cried not only for the tumult of the past two weeks, but for a lifetime in boxing that culminated in this gold-medal victory over previously unfathomable challenges.

“I saw images flashing, and I thought about the beginning of my career when I started boxing,” Lin said. “All the difficult practices, the times that I got injured, the competitors I fought against. All these images flashed in my head. There are times of great pain. There are times of great joy. I cried because I was so touched.”

Lin completed her domination of her division Saturday night, following Imane Khelif's lead a day earlier by giving a glittering response to the intense scrutiny faced by both fighters inside the ring and around the world over misconceptions about their womanhood.

Lin routed Julia Szeremeta of Poland 5:0 in the final, capping her four-fight unbeaten run through Paris by winning Taiwan's first Olympic boxing gold medal.

On Friday, Khelif won Algeria's first women's boxing medal with a decisive victory in the welterweight division final, beating Yang Liu of China.

Both fighters persevered through an avalanche of criticism and uninformed speculation about their sex during the Paris tournament to deliver the best performances of their boxing careers.

“Every fight is not easy," Lin said. "Winning 5-0 might seem easy, but behind that is a lot of practice and hard work.”

World leaders, celebrities and online critics attempted to make it about something other than the boxers' years of work.

The detractors either questioned their eligibility to be in women's competitions or falsely claimed they were men, forcing both women to take unwanted starring roles in a debate over changing attitudes toward gender identity and safety regulation in sports.

Lin said she minimized this potentially enormous distraction by managing to avoid learning about it almost entirely. She also said she'll speak with her team about whether to take legal action against some of the claims.

“As an elite athlete, during the competition it’s important to shut myself off from social media,” she said. “That’s extremely important. Some of the noises or some of the news articles, of course I heard some of the information through my coach, but I didn’t pay too much mind to it. And I was invited by the IOC to participate in the Games. This is what I focused on.”

Both fighters were disqualified last year from the world championships organized by the International Boxing Association, a Russian-dominated governing body that has been banished from the Olympics since 2019.

The IBA said they failed an eligibility test for women's competition, but it has struggled to defend its claims since they resurfaced at the Olympics, occasionally giving contradictory information or saying they were asked not to give details by the boxers' national federations. That didn't stop the criticism and speculation from proliferating online, stoked by Russian disinformation networks.

The two boxers’ detractors included former U.S. President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni. Their presence in Paris became a weapon in a largely Western culture clash over eligibility for women’s sports.

Khelif said a gold medal would be the “best response” to the uproar. Both fighters got the last word in Paris, although the chatter and scrutiny could persevere for the rest of their careers.

Lin hadn’t been as dominant or as dynamic as Khelif in Paris, but she steadily rolled toward the final as the top seed in the women’s 57-kilogram division. The 5-foot-9 (1.75 meter) Lin is usually taller and more slender than her opponents, and she uses those advantages to pick them apart with skill and angles, rather than strength or power.

That's exactly what Lin did to Szeremeta after taking the ring Saturday to loud cheers and dozens of Olympic-style Chinese Taipei flags waving in the stands, with millions more cheering back home.

Lin used her long left jab from the start, keeping the 20-year-old Szeremeta at bay and setting up combinations. Lin's hands were quicker and more active, and she dominated the first two rounds with a wealth of clear blows landed.

Lin cruised to victory, artfully dodging a few of Szeremeta's too-slow punches without countering in the final minute. Szeremeta had a bloodied face and a welt under her right eye when the bout ended.

After having her hand raised and holding open the ropes for Szeremeta's departure in a typical boxing gesture of sportsmanship, Lin went to the center of the ring, knelt on the Paris 2024 logo and touched her head to the canvas.

After leaving the ring, Lin gleefully gave a piggyback ride to one of her coaches. Before taking the medal podium, Lin touched her hand to her heart and raised it high above her head.

The 29-year-old Lin has fashioned a solid career as a top Olympic-style boxer, winning world championships in 2018 and 2022. She reached the semifinals of last year’s world championships before the IBA disqualified her and stripped her of a bronze medal.

While Khelif has been outspoken in the face of criticism, Lin was more circumspect in her public handling of the uproar. Her quarterfinal and semifinal opponents in Paris outwardly showed moderate sportsmanship, but they also made it clear they felt Lin should have been ineligible to compete.

But Lin has been strongly backed by the Paris crowds and by her home country — including its former President, Tsai Ing-wen, who posted a message of support on social media.

“I feel incredible,” Lin said. “I want to thank everyone who has supported me, and thanks to my team and everyone in Taiwan. They gave me the power.”

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Silver medalist, from left, Poland's Julia Szeremeta, gold medalist Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting and bronze medalists Turkey's Esra Yildiz and Philippines' Nesthy Petecio pose during a medals ceremony for the women's 57 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting''s mother Liao Hsiu-lan, center, New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih, second from left, and supporters cheer during a game watch party to view Lin competing with Poland boxer Julia Szeremeta in Olympic women''s featherweight boxing final at New Taipei City Hall in New Taipei City, Taiwan, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting celebrates after defeating Poland's Julia Szeremeta in their women's 57 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Gold medalist Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting wipes tears during a medals ceremony for the women's 57 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, left, fights Poland's Julia Szeremeta in their women's 57 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, right, fights Poland's Julia Szeremeta in their women's 57 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting prepares to fight Poland's Julia Szeremeta in their women's 57 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, right, fights Poland's Julia Szeremeta in their women's 57 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting carries out a coach after defeating Poland's Julia Szeremeta in their women's 57 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting celebrates after defeating Poland's Julia Szeremeta in their women's 57 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting celebrates after defeating Poland's Julia Szeremeta in their women's 57 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, left, fights Poland's Julia Szeremeta in their women's 57 kg final boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

NEW YORK (AP) — Disgraced ex-movie mogul Harvey Weinstein faces mounting legal and health troubles some seven years after scores of women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against him, helping launch the global #MeToo movement.

On Thursday, he was indicted on additional sex crimes charges in New York ahead of a retrial this fall. The grand jury decision remains sealed until he is formally arraigned in court.

Weinstein has maintained that any sexual activity was consensual.

Meanwhile, the 72-year-old remains hospitalized following emergency heart surgery — just the latest in an assortment of medical ailments that have cropped up while in custody.

Here’s a recap of where things stand:

In April, New York's highest court overturned Weinstein’s 2020 conviction on rape and sexual assault charges, ruling that the trial judge had unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations from other women that were not part of the case.

A new trial was ordered and the tentative start date is Nov. 12.

One of the two accusers in that case has said she is prepared to testify against Weinstein again, but it remains to be seen if the other accuser will also take the stand once more.

Weinstein had been sentenced to 23 years in prison for that conviction.

Earlier this month, prosecutors disclosed that a Manhattan grand jury had reviewed evidence of up to three additional allegations against Weinstein.

They include alleged sexual assaults at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, now known as the Roxy Hotel, and in a Lower Manhattan residential building between late 2005 and mid-2006, and an alleged sexual assault at a Tribeca hotel in May 2016.

It is unclear when Weinstein will be formally charged on those allegations, given his current health condition. The next court hearing ahead of the retrial is slated for Sept. 18.

It is also unclear how the additional allegations will factor in the retrial. Prosecutors want to include the new charges in the retrial, but Weinstein’s lawyers oppose that, saying it should be a separate case.

In 2022, Weinstein was found guilty of rape, forced oral copulation and another sexual misconduct count after a one-month trial in Los Angeles. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

During the trial, a woman testified that Weinstein appeared uninvited at her hotel room during the LA Italia Film Festival in 2013 and that Weinstein became sexually aggressive after she let him in.

Weinstein’s lawyers appealed the conviction in June, arguing the trial judge wrongly excluded evidence that the Italian model and actor had a sexual relationship with the film festival director at the time of the alleged attack.

Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service announced Sept. 5 that it had decided to drop two charges of indecent assault against Weinstein because there was “no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.’’

In 2022, the agency authorized London’s Metropolitan Police Service to file the charges against Weinstein over an alleged incident that occurred in London in 1996. The victim was in her 50s at the time of the announcement.

Weinstein also faces several lawsuits brought by women accusing him of sexual misconduct.

Among the latest is one from actor Julia Ormond, who starred opposite Brad Pitt in “Legends of the Fall” and Harrison Ford in “Sabrina.” She filed the lawsuit last year in New York accusing Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in 1995 and then hindering her career.

The majority of lawsuits against Weinstein were brought to a close through a 2021 settlement as part of the bankruptcy of his former film company, The Weinstein Co. The agreement included a victims’ fund of about $17 million for some 40 women who sued him.

Weinstein’s lawyers have regularly raised concerns about his worsening health since being taken into custody following his 2020 conviction.

During his appearances in Manhattan court, he’s regularly transported in a wheelchair and his lawyers say he suffers from macular degeneration and diabetes that’s worsened due to the poor jailhouse diet.

Weinstein’s pericardiocentesis surgery last week was to drain fluid around his heart. His lawyers say his medical regimen causes him to retain water and that he must be constantly monitored to ensure the fluid buildup isn’t deadly.

A judge has granted his request to remain at Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital indefinitely instead of being transferred back to the infirmary ward at the city’s notorious Rikers Island jail complex.

Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.

A look at Harvey Weinstein’s health and legal woes as he faces more criminal charges

A look at Harvey Weinstein’s health and legal woes as he faces more criminal charges

FILE — Harvey Weinstein appears for a pretrial hearing in Manhattan criminal court, July 19, 2024, in New York. (Adam Gray/Pool Photo via AP, File)