VILLEPINTE, France — Boxer Cindy Ngamba on Sunday became the first athlete on the Refugee Olympic Team to clinch a medal at the Paris Games, offering hope for a team created to call attention to the plight of refugees across the world.
The victory for Ngamba, who’s originally from Cameroon, comes after a fierce bout with French boxer Davina Michel in the women’s 75-kilogram quarterfinals in front of a passionate French crowd. The win means she’s at least scored a bronze medal as she advances to the semifinals Friday night at Roland Garros.
Ngamba, who upset former world champion Tammara Thibeault of Canada in her first bout, screamed and pumped her fist when she won Sunday.
She was a flag bearer for the 37 athletes making up the biggest Refugee Olympic Team since the idea was born ahead of the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. The International Olympic Committee created the team as a way for displaced athletes and migrants to participate fully in the Olympics without help from national federations.
Ngamba moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 11 and said she was granted refugee status in 2021 because she could have been imprisoned for being gay in Cameroon.
She has said boxing has been her escape from the chaos and has lifted her up to the international stage. While some of the athletes on the team have already won Olympic medals for their countries in past Games, Ngamba has been seen as the team’s best chance at medaling in Paris.
The refugee team has had some profile at the Paris Games, being among the first Olympic delegations to cruise along the Seine River in the opening ceremony last week.
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