Boxer Cindy Ngamba made history Sunday by becoming the first athlete competing as a refugee to win an Olympic medal.
The 25-year-old from Cameroon has given hope to the Refugee Olympic Team, which was created to draw attention to the plight of refugees around the world.
Cindy Ngamba ‘s victory at the Paris Games comes after a fierce fight against French boxer Davina Michel in the quarter-finals of the 75 kilos in front of a passionate French crowd.
Cindy Ngamba, who screamed and pumped her fists in her victory, secured at least a bronze medal by advancing to the semifinals Friday night.
She will face Atheyna Bylon , who secured Panama’s fourth Olympic medal with her victory shortly after.
“It means a lot to me to be the first refugee to win a medal ,” Cindy Ngamba told reporters. “I want to say to all refugees around the world: keep working hard, keep believing in yourself.”
She was the flag bearer for the 37 athletes who made up the largest refugee Olympic team since the idea was floated ahead of the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The International Olympic Committee created the team to allow displaced and migrant athletes to fully participate in the Olympic Games without the help of national federations.
Cindy Ngamba moved to the UK when she was 11 and said she was granted refugee status in 2021 because she could have been imprisoned in Cameroon for being gay .
She said boxing gave her an escape from the chaos and also propelled her onto the international stage.
She told reporters on Sunday that she struggled when she first settled in the UK, going from a bubbly child in Cameroon to an introvert as she learned English and adapted to her new country.
She found her place in boxing and on the Olympic team. “ I had my family and my team by my side every day ,” she said. “The refugee team welcomed me with open arms.”
Cindy Ngamba, who beat former Canadian world champion Tammara Thibeault in her first fight, started her Sunday fight aggressively against Davina Michel, quickly dodging the French boxer’s punches.
“I think all I heard was boos when I stepped into the ring ,” Ngamba said, adding that the spectators were just another group of people who didn’t believe in her throughout her journey to get to where she is today.
