This is the first Olympic medal for Polish women’s boxing and the first in this discipline for our country since 1992. 32 years ago, Wojciech Bartnik won bronze at the Barcelona Olympic Games.
It was also Polish boxing’s first Olympic final since 1980, when Paweł Skrzecz won silver in Moscow in the light heavyweight category.
Yu Ting Lin kept Szeremeta under control
In the final fight, Szeremeta felt no respect for her much more successful rival. Ten centimeters taller and with a much greater arm reach, Yu Ting Lin took advantage of her physical advantage.
She kept Szeremeta at bay and hit our boxer with a straight left. In the first and second rounds, her advantage was unquestionable. Our boxer fought bravely and tried to match the Taiwanese. However, she skillfully controlled the fight.
Szeremeta put it all on one card in the third round
Knowing that she was losing until the third fight, the Polish woman went out as if she were going to “war”. She stepped forward and landed a right hook early in the round. Unfortunately, it was not enough to defeat Yu Ting Lin.
The 20-year-old competitor from Lublin had to accept her opponent’s superiority. As consolation, she wins a silver medal.
The third round decided that Szeremeta won
In the semi-finals, Szeremeta faced a very difficult task. The Polish boxer, who is under 21, fought against Nesthy Petecio. The 32-year-old Filipino boxer is an experienced opponent. His athletic resume includes, among others: silver medals at the Tokyo Games and gold at the 2019 World Championships.
Szeremeta lost the first round unanimously. In the second, it was a draw. The third match decided the fate of advancing to the final.
Both boxers exchanged blows. Szeremeta ended up being better at it. The Pole won by unanimous decision of the judges and will therefore fight for the gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games.
The Taiwanese is Szeremeta’s last opponent
In Saturday’s final, Szeremeta’s opponent was Yu Ting Lin. The Taiwanese boxer unanimously defeated Turkish boxer Esra Yildiz in the semi-final.
There was a lot of fuss surrounding Yu Ting Lin at the Paris Olympics. Specifically, it’s about her gender. The Taiwanese was not allowed by the IBA to compete in the 2023 world championships. The boxer failed gender testing.
The boxers who faced Lin Yu Ting in Paris demonstrated more or less openly that Taiwanese men should not be allowed to compete with women.
Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman, who lost to Lin in the semi-finals, showed an X sign with her fingersindicating female chromosomes characteristic only of women, although they sometimes have an XY arrangement, suitable for most men.
Szeremeta won unanimously in the quarterfinals
Szeremeta defeated Puerto Rican Ashleyann Lozada Motta unanimously in the quarterfinals. The judges had no doubts who was better. The final score was 5-0 (30:27, 30:27, 30:27, 30:27, 29:28).
In this way, Szeremeta guaranteed at least the bronze medal at the Paris Olympic Games (there is no fight for third place).
Wójcik lost as representative of Panama
Elżbieta Wójcik did not follow in Szeremeta’s footsteps. In the quarterfinals of the up to 75 kg category, she lost on points to the representative of Panama, Atheyna Bylon, by 2:3 (28:29, 28:29, 29:28, 30:27, 28:29).
According to the judges, the Polish was unanimously better in the first round. In the second, four of the five judges gave the winner to Bylon, and in the third, according to three judges, the Panamanian boxer was better.
