Cindy Ngamba’s inspirational Olympic campaign for the Refugees ends in Paris on Thursday.
She lost a split decision to Panamanian Athena Byron in the middleweight semifinals at Roland Garros.
This meant Ngamba ended up with a bronze medal, but it was still a historic achievement. She was the first refugee athlete to win an Olympic medal in any sport.
But the sting of defeat became acute immediately after Ngamba pressed Byron.
Ngamba, who was born in Cameroon and lives in the UK as a refugee and is currently seeking to resolve citizenship issues, finished behind Byron in the first round.
Ngamba scores inspiring semi-final win
The tall Panamanian southpaw deftly picked out a long, straight backhand as he moved. She caught her opponent with a right hook that just caught Ngamba.
But Ngamba came back into the game in the second round. She knocked Byron down with a punch and found a more effective way to punch.
Spectators at the famous tennis court were engrossed in the action, chanting “Cindy, Cindy” over and over again.
Please use Chrome browser for a more convenient video player
Ngamba outlines her inspirational story ahead of representing IOC Refugee Olympic Team
Ngamba kept the pressure on Byron in the final round and kept going.
The Panamanian expertly landed a right hook that pushed Ngamba aside. But Ngamba still fought hard and hit Byron’s headguard with a right hook.
She forced Byron to hold on so often that the referee did deduct a point after issuing a warning. In the last 30 seconds, both sides held their ground and engaged in fierce exchanges.
The deduction means they were tied 28-28 on three cards. Those judges then had to vote for a winner, and Byron was chosen by them, winning by a narrow split decision and earning a spot in Saturday’s 75kg final.
This was historic for Byron as well. She is Panama’s first Olympic boxing medalist and the fourth athlete in any sport to win a medal for the country at the Olympics.
