Cindy Ngamba facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 7 September 1998 Douala, Cameroon |
|||||||||||||
| Weight | Middleweight | |||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Boxing | |||||||||||||
| Club | Bolton | |||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||
Refugee Olympic TeamCindy Winner Djankeu Ngamba (born 7 September 1998) is a Cameroonian boxer who competed for the EOC Refugee Team at the 2023 European Games. She is the first-ever medalist for the Refugee Olympic Team, having won bronze in women's 75 kg boxing at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Personal life
Ngamba was born in Cameroon. At the age of 11, Ngamba moved to the United Kingdom. Her uncle lost Ngamba's immigration paperwork when he moved back to Cameroon. Ngamba has since gained a BA (Hons) degree in Crime and Criminal Justice at the University of Bolton.
In 2019, Ngamba and her brother were detained whilst attending an immigration office in Bolton and sent to a detention centre in London. They were released the following day. Aged 18, Ngamba came out as lesbian; as such, she is unable to return to Cameroon without risk of imprisonment, as homosexuality is illegal there.
Career
Ngamba trains with GB Boxing, although she cannot compete for Great Britain as she does not have a British passport. She has won British National Amateur Championships in three different weight categories, making her the first woman to achieve the feat since Natasha Jonas. In 2023, Ngamba won a Bocskai event in Hungary, and competed in the under 75kg event for the EOC Refugee Team at the 2023 European Games.
She competed for the Refugee Olympic Team in the 2024 World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament 1 and qualified for the Summer Olympics in Paris, alongside her British colleague Chantelle Reid. On 2 May 2024, Ngamba was officially named in the Refugee Olympic Team making her the first boxer to be selected for the team. She was also chosen as one of the Refugee Olympic Team flag-bearers for the opening ceremony alongside Syrian Taekwondo athlete Yahya Al-Ghotany.
Ngamba was drawn to fight 2022 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships gold medalist Tammara Thibeault from Canada in the first round and won by 3:2 split decision. She defeated 2022 World Championship bronze medalist Davina Michel of France via unanimous decision in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics to guarantee herself at least a bronze medal and in the process becoming the first person to win an Olympic medal for the Refugee Olympic Team. She fought Atheyna Bylon from Panama in the semi-finals and lost by 4:1 split decision, therefore taking a bronze medal.
Ngamba turned professional and signed a multi-fight contract with promotors Boxxer in January 2025.
See also
In Spanish: Cindy Ngamba para niños
- Zakia Khudadadi, Afghan athlete, first medalist for the Refugee Paralympic Team at 2024 Summer Paralympics
