Cindy Ngamba has already carved her place in history. She defeated Davina Michel to reach the middleweight semi-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first member of the Refugee team to win an Olympic medal.
Ngamba will now have at least a bronze medal on her hands as she will compete for a spot in the final against former world gold medalist Athena Baron of Panama at Roland Garros on Thursday night.
Ngamba kicked off her campaign in Paris with a stunning victory, defeating Canadian quality world gold medalist Tamara Thibaud in a superb contest before scoring in four points In the final stage, he defeated the host country boxer Michel in front of a lively French audience.
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Cindy Ngamba outlines her inspiring story of boxing for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.
“When I walked to the ring, all I heard was boos. After that, I just listened to the coach and myself and got the job done,” Ngamba said.
“People won’t believe you. For example, a lot of French fans don’t believe me.
“You have to keep working hard and keep believing in yourself. You can achieve anything you want to do,” she continued.
“It means a lot to me to be the first member of a refugee team to win a medal. I’m just one person, just like any other refugee. There are refugees all over the world.”
The middleweight from Bolton made headlines with her medal haul, but her progress hasn’t shocked many in the British boxing community.
Ngamba is England’s national boxing three-weight champion. She has received support from UK institutions and trained with the likes of Tokyo Olympic middleweight gold medalist and current WBA welterweight world champion Lauren Price.
Price is by no means the only world champion to use Ngamba in sparring. Savannah Marshall is undisputed at super middleweight, with former undisputed super lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron and two-weight world champion Nata Natasha Jonas.
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Cindy Ngamba describes her pride at being selected for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team and discusses her experience of almost being deported from the UK.
They all do it for a reason. “She’s strong, very skilled and I’ve seen the progress she’s made from when she first started boxing to when she came in recently,” Jonas told sky sports.
“She has improved, she has gotten better, her IQ is high and those are things you learn in England. Being the best player in England or the UK is completely different to being the best player in the world, but You learn these skills that you can learn from their team by going to fights every other month – how to box internationally because it’s different and you can see her do it.
Ngamba had another important factor in his success. “Not only that, she was confident in what she was doing,” Jonas explains.
“[Once] You have to cheer her up a little, but now she knows how awesome she is. I think now she believes how good she is. We’ve always seen this, she never believed it, and now I think she does. She could become a real danger.
In 2012, Jonas became an Olympian but lost to Katie Taylor in a thrilling quarterfinal match. She texted Ngamba before the game and told her: “Enjoy the moment.”
Just competing in the Olympics is a rare thing, let alone winning a medal.
Jonas explained: “The focus is always on the results and we are results-driven for obvious reasons. But at the same time, I wasn’t really enjoying the moment.
Cindy Ngamba celebrates epic victory over world champions
“One in a million gets there and you have to take that into consideration and remember that, yes, you’ve been working towards this moment, but don’t forget to enjoy that moment.
“Most people in the world will never experience this. Enjoy it, record it, talk about how you feel, take lots of photos, enjoy the experience of actually being there. Because it’s fast, and it’s faster than nothing, it’s Just a distant memory.
But this will not affect the results obtained.
“then [of her Olympics] I was thinking about the outcome, who I got, how I was going to box, but I just didn’t like the fact that it was there,” Jonas said.
“I’m not talking about losing your mind. I’m talking about focusing, remembering your tactics and everything you’ve done, but just standing there and taking your time and when you hear the crowd, when you walk in The stadium is the Olympic Village, and when you meet people you think: “Wow, I’m here and I’m proud to be here. “
“Because until now when I look back, I don’t think about what my boss was like back then.”
