Using her superior reach to maximum effect, Yu-Ting landed several hammering blows throughout the fight and broke Szeremeta’s nose in the third round. Though unable to seriously trouble Yu-Ting, the 20-year-old Pole fought both valiantly and without fear.

Szeremeta, who turns 21 in two weeks, has won a raft of new admirers over the course of the Games for her unorthodox style, and this was again in evidence in the final as she danced around the ring keeping her guard low.

Beaten but not bowed, Szeremeta’s celebrations underscored the scope of her achievements - by bagging silver she became the first Polish female boxer to ever win an Olympic medal, and the first Polish boxer to earn a podium place since 1992.

For Yu-Ting, her Olympic success has been significantly clouded by the gender controversy that has marred women's boxing. Like Imane Khelif who won the women’s Welterweight title in Paris, Yu-Ting was prevented from competing in last year’s Boxing World Championships after failing a gender test.