The Untold Story of Lin Yu-ting's Boxing Journey Part 1
Olympic gold medalist Lin Yu-ting unveils her journey from a little-known fighter to becoming Taiwan’s first-ever Olympic boxing champion. She shares how pain, discipline and perseverance shaped her rise to the top, and why boxing is far more than just a sport. In the first part of this interview, Lin talks about her new book and the powerful lessons behind every punch that pushed her to become a world-class competitor.
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Lin Yu-ting’s punches don’t just win fights — they tell a story of grit, faith and rebirth. Taiwan’s first-ever Olympic boxing champion is now telling that story in her new book, Dreams Weigh More Than Pain, revealing the struggles behind her gold medal glory.
The 29-year-old featherweight boxer made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics, bringing home Taiwan’s first gold in the sport. But as Lin puts it, her journey wasn’t built on trophies alone. “It wasn’t all victories and championship titles,” she said. “It’s about the road I walked to get here — the setbacks I’ve experienced and the hard work I’ve put in before finally becoming an Olympic champion.”
Lin said she wrote her book in hopes that more people would understand her real story. “Dealing with frustration and failure isn’t scary,” she said. “What’s truly scary is when you stop facing these challenges and start running away from them.”
Writing the book took about six to eight months — a process she described as both cathartic and precise. She revisited her old training diaries and photos to recall details of wins and losses that had shaped her mindset. “Even now, I can still vividly remember fights I lost and exactly how I felt,” Lin said.
To Lin, boxing is more than brute force. “I would describe boxing as a sport for the brave,” she said. “You have to bravely face your opponent’s punches head-on and counterattack — that’s how you win.”
But she also calls it a kind of performance. “Even if you’re scared, you can’t let your opponent see it,” she said. “Even when you’re exhausted, you still have to look strong — like you’re enjoying the fight. That’s when you win the judges’ favor.”
Her mental game, she says, comes from discipline. “Only when you’ve trained enough can you stay calm and know what to do in the moment,” Lin said. “You might be behind, but you can’t rush or show you’re nervous. That’s a huge mistake.”
Training with men early in her career forced Lin to grow faster and think sharper. “Men punch faster and harder than women,” she recalled. “You can’t dodge every shot perfectly. You have to disrupt their punches and counterattack.” Those sessions, she said, built not only her resilience but her ability to read opponents’ movements.
Lin’s competitiveness, she admitted, borders on obsession. “I’m the kind of person who can’t stand losing,” she said. “If you can hit me, I’ll figure out how to hit you back.”
Even rest, she says, is part of her fight. “Good training includes diet, sleep and regular routines,” Lin said. “Even rest time is part of our preparation.”
Asked about her toughest challenge, Lin didn’t hesitate: “Weight control,” she said with a laugh. “Who doesn’t love good food? But when you’re watching your weight, you have to choose between bubble tea and blanched vegetables. That’s when discipline matters most.”
Her philosophy, as her book title suggests, keeps her going. “Even though it hurts when you’re hit, you won’t feel fear because of that pain and give up,” she said. “Because you have bigger dreams to chase — and you’re willing to take the pain.”
