Cindy Winner Djankeu Ngamba’s story is one of perseverance. True to her middle name, she made history by becoming the first athlete to represent the Olympic weight class when she won a medal in the women’s 75kg boxing category at the Paris Summer Olympics. As a Cameroonian, she experienced many honours and hardships in her childhood. She immigrated to the UK at the age of eleven in search of a better future. Upon arrival, she worked hard to gain citizenship but was imprisoned due to paperwork issues. “In boxing, every day is a learning day. Ngamba said like everything else in life, you have your ups and downs.
Boxing will not only help him mentally but will also provide him with a significant boost in his new environment. "Every time I box, I think about the times when I was weak, all I had to do was get in the ring with my opponent and start hitting each other... I'm back home. At the age of 25, he trained and competed with the British boxing team but despite many attempts to gain British citizenship, he was unsuccessful. Given Cameroon’s homosexuality ban, Ngamba was granted refugee status because of his homosexuality. The Refugee Olympic Team gives displaced athletes the opportunity to compete on the biggest platform in sport. This year’s team of 37 athletes aims to show the world the positive impact refugees have on humanity.
Ngamba’s bronze medal is a huge achievement for the Refugee Olympic Team and an inspiration to millions of migrants around the world. But I held my head high and refused to back down. I won," Ngamba said.
"My hope is that by representing refugees around the world and bringing home an Olympic medal, people will see that we are hungry athletes who want to achieve good things for ourselves." international migrant numbers reach new record of 120 million. Following Ngamba's bronze medal, Britain's Lewis Richardson shared his Union Jack with his athlete at the moment of contact at the celebration in Paris. I am so grateful to have lived that moment with him because he knows what we both went through and what he and I went through. Gamba's victory was against this historical figure.