Polish boxer Julia Szeremeta has taken her bizarre approach all the way to the Olympic Games gold medal match where she will meet gender rower fighter Lin Yu-Ting.
The 20-year-old defeated Filipina Nesthy Petecio by split decision on Wednesday night to book her place in the final. And she insisted that her focus is solely on the gold.
Szeremeta has gained attention for her unusual style in the ring which has seen her lower her hands, provoke opponents and most notably jump off her feet during bouts to unsettle the competition.
‘There’s no point talking about the silver medal. I’m going for the gold,’ she said right after the fight.’
She added: ‘I’m not afraid of anyone; I don’t feel respect. I go out and do my thing. I can’t wait for the final. Another win gives me confidence, and I don’t feel any stress. I approach this like a regular tournament. I don’t think it’s the Games. I box in a relaxed way.’ year-old has gained numerous fans for her bizarre style in the ring which has involved provoking her opponents
The Pole will have a tough task to end the run of Taiwan’s Lu-Ting, who beat Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman, 27, for a place in the women’s 57kg category final.
She is one of two female boxers – along with Algeria’s Imane Khelif – who have been at the centre of a gender row at the Paris Games. The pair were both banned from last year’s World Championships by the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA), which claimed they had failed gender eligibility tests.
The IBA’s chief executive said last week that male XY chromosomes were found in ‘both cases’ – but the association has failed to provide proof and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has questioned the accuracy of the tests.
The IBA has been suspended by the IOC since 2019 because of concerns over its finances, governance, and judging, and was stripped of its status as a regulator last year.
It has repeatedly claimed that the IOC is putting female athletes at risk by allowing Lin and Khelif to participate in the games, as it prevented them from doing previously.
Both Lin and Khelif were registered women at birth, and the IOC has strongly defended their participation in the games.
Lin defied the storm that has followed her into the ring and bowed and saluted the 13,000 crowd at Roland Garros which has been converted from a tennis stadium to a boxing arena and will stage the must-see bout.
Lin Yu-ting defeated Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman to fight for an Olympic gold medal
Olympic Chief: Boxers Khelif & Lin are women with right to compete
The boxer underwent additional tests by Taiwan’s sports administrators before the Olympics which confirmed her eligibility after last year’s disqualification.
Lin’s Olympic officials called the accusations discriminatory and declared them a deliberate attempt to undermine the boxer’s mental state.
Regardless of the outcome on Saturday, Szeremeta will win Poland’s first boxing medal since Wojciech Bartnik, 32 years ago.
