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

Boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan won a gold medal in the women's featherweight division at the Paris Olympics on Saturday night, following Imane Khelif's lead a day earlier with 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 at Roland Garros, capping her four-fight unbeaten run through Paris by winning Taiwan's first Olympic boxing gold medal.

“I feel incredible," Lin said after her fourth consecutive 5:0 win. «I want to thank everyone who has supported me, and thanks to my team and everyone in Taiwan. They gave me the power.”

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. Lin won all four of her bouts by shutout, even if she didn't win every round on every judge's card as Khelif did.

“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.

Both fighters were disqualified last year from the world championships organized by the International Boxing