How much Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting won in prize money after securing Olympic golds following gender row
Two boxers won the ultimate prize at the 2024 Paris Olympics after fighting back in a row that saw some claim they shouldn't have been there in the first place.
And they're set for big paydays as a result of their Olympic triumphs despite athletes' pay packets on the whole being something that has shocked a lot of people.
Algeria's Imane Khelif and Chinese Taipei's Lin Yu-ting both won gold medals in the women's boxing, coming out top in the 66kg and 57kg weight classes, respectively.
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The victories were unanimous for both boxers, with them scoring perfect points victories in each of their bouts on the way to, and including, the finals.
But both had to put up with their fair share of distraction after Italian boxer Angela Carini walked out of the ring after just 46 seconds in her bout with Khelif, saying she had 'never been hit so hard in her life'.
As a result of this, a row resurfaced from when the Algerian boxer had failed an unspecified 'gender eligibility test' at the 2023 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships, with the International Boxing Association (IBA) doubling down on their position that she was not able to meet gender eligibility criteria laid out by them.
In the 2023 competition, Khelif was stopped from fighting in the gold medal match. Lin Yu-ting also competed in the tournament and was subjected to the same tests as Khelif, with IBA bosses saying she also failed to meet the criteria. As a result, she was stripped of a bronze medal she had already secured.
But when it came to the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the IBA of its recognition and responsibility to run the Olympic boxing events due to its concerns relating to governance and money issue. As a result, the IOC used its own criteria for eligibility which for Khelif and Lin, included what their passports said.
Both boxers have never identified as anything but women; something their passports reflect.
After winning their gold medal fights on Friday and Saturday respectively, the two fighters were overcome with emotion after securing the top prize available to amateur boxers.
According to essentiallysports, a gold medalist boxer receives $100,000 (£78,360) prize money. Half of the prize money goes directly to the athlete, while the other half is split between the National Federation and for the coach.
In the case of Lin, Taiwain has said it will double her domestic Olympic bonus for winning gold, as well as naming 12 August 'Lin Yu-ting Day' for winning the country's first ever gold in boxing.
New Taipei Mayor, Hou Yu-ih, told local press: "Lin worked very hard over the past 15 years, fighting with blood and tears to bring pride to Taiwan and New Taipei.
"She faced constant malicious slander during the Olympics, but now that she has won the gold medal, these people have shut up."
There could be complications with the $100,000 prize money, though, given that the cash comes directly from the IBA.
LADbible has approached the organisation for comment.
Topics: Boxing, Imane Khelif, Money, Olympics, Sport
Tom Earnshaw