Despite losing in her boxing semifinal, Cindy Ngamba will still return from Paris 2024 with a historic bronze medal—the first won by an Olympic athlete from the Refugee Team.
The 25-year-old Ngamba, who trains with the GB squad and resides in the UK, lost to Atheyna Bylon of Panama in the 75kg category, despite having already earned a medal by making it to the final four.
Before one judge awarded Ngamba the victory and another agreed with her opponent, Bylon, 35, was docked a point for excessive holding in the closing round of a close fight.
But in the end, all three of the judges who had previously scored the fight went with Bylon, giving him a 4-1 victory, which was loudly applauded at Roland Garros Arena.
“They voted for the boxer who was incredibly negative throughout the three rounds,” BBC boxing expert Steve Bunce said.
“Ngamba is broken and upset. She knows she has done enough to win.
“Bylon picked up a warning and they still gave her the verdict. I find that really, really odd.”
Despite being visibly upset and frustrated by the result, Ngamba’s place in history remains assured as the first athlete in any sport to secure a medal while representing the refugee team.
She moved to the UK aged 10 and is unable to return to the country of her birth, Cameroon, because of her sexuality – homosexuality is punishable with up to five years in prison in the African country.
Aged 20, Ngamba was arrested, along with her brother Kennet, and sent from Manchester to a detention camp in London and at risk of being deported until being released a day later.
She lives in Bolton, where she took up boxing aged 15, and has since graduated from Bolton University with a degree in criminology.
She is yet to gain British citizenship, however, which prevented her from being part of Team GB in Paris.
She trains with the squad in Sheffield, took part in the pre-Games photoshoot with the British squad and had GB Boxing coaches in her corner against Bylon.
The refugee team was first introduced in 2016 for the Rio Olympics but did not win a medal in Brazil or five years later in Tokyo.
Their squad is made up of 37 athletes in Paris across 12 sports with Ngamba one of the flagbearers at the opening ceremony.
Other athletes include runner Dominic Lobalu, cyclist Eyeru Gebru and Farzad Mansouri, who competes in taekwondo.
Elsewhere in Thursday’s boxing, Hasanboy Dusmatov won gold for Uzbekistan in the men’s 51kg category by beating home favourite Billal Bennama.
China’s Yuan Chang also took gold in the women’s 54kg with victory over Turkey’s Hatice Akbas.