Julia Szeremeta returned from the Paris Olympics with a silver medal – the first Olympic medal for Polish boxing since 1992. In final in the 57-kilogram competition, the Polish boxer lost unanimously on points to the Taiwanese Lin Yu-Ting. The duel stirred up huge emotions long before it began.
All because of the confusion surrounding Yu-Ting's gender tests. The tests conducted on behalf of the International Boxing Federation (IBA) showed the presence of XY chromosomes, which could cast doubt on the Taiwanese boxer's gender. However, the International Olympic Committee stated that it was not so much resultswhich the tests conducted by the IBA themselves are unreliable and allowed the athlete to start in Paris.
Memes on Julia Szeremeta's Instagram
Before the final between the Polish and Taiwanese women, our competitor's Instagram account published memes related to the controversy surrounding Yu-Ting's gender. “To win gold, I have to tap the guy again” – this was the description of one of them.
Polish journalist Tomasz Śniedziewski, who lives in Taiwan, told Sport.pl how the Taiwanese reacted to Szeremeta's publications on social media. – Every statement by Julia Szeremeta was followed in Taiwan. Everyone was excited and excited about it. When the memes appeared on the Polish boxer's account, the media immediately noted it – admitted Śniedziewski.
After the final, Szeremeta explained to Polish journalists that it was not her who posted the memes. In a conversation with Interia Tomasz Dylak, the boxer's coach, confirmed this later. – On the one hand, it was my mistake, because I told Julka to cut herself off from social media. And her friend, who was supposed to share everything, took control of it. And because of that, without looking at what she was sharing, she released everything. I saw what was shown and after half an hour it was deleted – he said.
The Taiwanese picked up on it right away.
How was this explanation received in Taiwan? – When Ms. Julia explained that it was not her who ran her social media accounts, the Taiwanese actually accepted it, breathed a sigh of relief and only prepared for the final. There was no anger, maybe disappointment at first, but the mood quickly changed – added the Polish journalist.
It is no wonder that Lin Yu-Ting's compatriots quickly caught on to the controversial content on Szeremeta's Instagram. According to our interviewee, during the games, all of Taiwan followed their competitor's Olympic struggles. – It was something incredible, because let's remember that due to the time difference, her fights took place in the middle of the night. In New Taipei, Lin's hometown, a joint viewing was organized on a big screen with her mother. The fights attracted everyone's attention – including the president, former president, politicians from the ruling party and the opposition. Everyone remained united in rooting for Lin – admitted Śniedziewski.
He added: – The final duel with Julia Szeremeta was a major event on the social level – it seems even bigger than in Poland, where the focus was also on performances volleyball players or others athletes. Taiwan was buzzing with Lin's performances during the games.
The Taiwanese won seven medals at the Paris Games: two gold and five bronze. They were ranked 35th in the medal standings. Poland, with 10 medals – but only one gold medal by Aleksandra Mirosław in climbing – was ranked 42nd.