Olympic Glory: Cindy Ngamba

Olympic Glory: Cindy Ngamba

Boxing in the Paris Olympics has been stained with controversy. Cries of robbery. The misinformation surrounding Lin Yu‑ting and Imane Khelif. An issue that just rumbles on. When we need a united stance, we get the exact opposite.

But lingering beneath the unwanted headlines, the usual feel-good stories are still there. Cindy Ngamba is one such story.

Ngamba moved to England when she was just ten. Born in Cameroon, Ngamba can never go back because of her sexuality. Being gay in her native country is still a criminal offence and carries a potential five-year prison sentence. Ngamba, despite living in England for fifteen years, is unable to get a British passport and was even looking at the prospect of being deported just five years ago.

Boxing in Paris representing the International Olympic Committee’s refugee team, Ngamba headed to France with real hope of going home with a medal. And on Sunday, Ngamba became the first refugee boxer to claim an Olympic medal. A dominant win over the French fighter Davina Michel in their 75kg quarter-final, guaranteed Ngamba a medal, and on Thursday, she will fight Atheyna Bylon from Panama.

“It means the world to me to be the first-ever refugee to win a medal. I’m a human, just like any other refugee and athlete all around the world.” the three-time National Champion said after her win over Michel.

Ngamba, who started boxing in Bolton when she was just fifteen, always had the look of a special fighter. A regular sparring partner for the stars of the professional ranks. The call comes for a reason. Ngamba calls boxing her escape from all the chaos. A regular at the Institute of Sport in Sheffield training with the elite GB Boxing fighters. Despite hopes being dashed of representing Team GB, due to the lack of a British passport, the GB performance director, Rob McCracken, nevertheless sees Ngamba as “part of the family.”

Ngamba graduated with a BA (Hons) in Crime and Criminal Justice from the University of Bolton in 2024. Make no mistake, Ngamba is much more than a boxer.

On Thursday, Ngamba will attempt to write another chapter in her remarkable and inspirational story. If she beats Bylon in their semi-final in Paris, Ngamba will then get a chance to fight for the gold medal.

“Once I believe in myself, I know I can do anything,” Ngamba said a few years ago in an interview with Boxing News. You sense her confidence is even greater now than it was in 2022. Ngamba has overcome so much adversity in her life. Winning a gold medal would be another little chapter. With many more to follow. Nothing has ever come easy for Cindy Ngamba. That patented resilience will serve her well, not just for the remainder of the Olympics but in her life after Paris. The colour of her Olympic medal is still to be decided, but we have only seen the beginning of the Cindy Ngamba story.

Photo Credit: Getty Images