Mossely triumphed on a split decision after the four rounds had ended with both competitors level on the three judges' scorecards.

She admitted afterwards that she lost the first two rounds but did enough to overwhelm Yin in the second half of the fight.

"This was a right hard fight actually," said Mossely, who adds Olympic gold to the World Championship title she won earlier this year.

"I was losing the first and second round and I knew I could do more.

"I knew I had the physical ability to do a lot more so what I tried to do was impose my rhythm and this is what happened in the third round.

"I gave it all I had in the last round and I could then see the title.

"I could then see that I could get it so I started praying and I got it.

"I'm really, really happy that I could show the judges that I could get it."

The medal was France's first in women's Olympics boxing, which was introduced at London 2012, and the country's first gold in the ring since light flyweight Brahim Asloum’s triumph at Sydney 2000.

Yin’s silver was China's first medal of the Rio 2016 boxing competition.

She defeated Finland’s Mira Potkonen, the conqueror of London 2012 gold medallist Katie Taylor of Ireland, in the semi-finals on Wednesday (August 17).

Potkonen was one of the two bronze medallists along with Russia’s Anastasiia Beliakova, beaten by Mossely in the other semi-final.

Mossely had earlier watched boyfriend Tony Yoka of France reach the final of the men's super heavyweight category, defeating Croatia’s Filip Hrgović on a split decision.

Yoka will face Britain’s Joe Joyce in a gold medal match which has been given extra spice by the Frenchman's comments about his rival earlier this week.

"He was saying that I'm not smart in the ring," Joyce said after defeating Kazakhstan’s Ivan Dychko.

"That I'm a beast but not smart.

"We'll see on Sunday (August 21)."

London 2012 women's middleweight champion Claressa Shields of the United States reached her second Olympic final with a dominant performance against Kazakhstan’s Dariga Shakimova.

Shields will face The Netherlands’ Nouchka Fontijn, a winner by split decision over China’s Li Qian, on Sunday.

Three gold medals will be up for grabs tomorrow on the busiest day of Rio 2016 boxing competition so far.

Britain’s Nicola Adams will aim to defend her women's flyweight title against France’s Sarah Ourahmoune.

Cuba will look to add to their solitary gold medal so far as Robeisy Ramirez takes on America's Shakur Stevenson in the men's bantamweight final and Arlen Lopez goes up against Uzbekistan’s Bektemir Melikuziev in the men's middleweight final.