Cindy Ngamba’s inspiring Olympic marketing campaign for the refugee workforce got here to an finish in Paris on Thursday.
She misplaced a split-decision verdict within the middleweight semi-final to Panama’s Atheyna Bylon at Roland Garros.
It means Ngamba finishes with a bronze medal, a historic achievement nonetheless. She is the primary refugee athlete to medal at an Olympic Video games in any sport.
However the ache of the defeat was uncooked within the fast aftermath as Ngamba had pressed Bylon exhausting.
Born in Cameroon and based mostly within the UK with refugee standing as she seems to resolve her citizenship, Ngamba trailed Bylon after their first spherical.
Ngamba secured inspiring victories on her solution to the semi-final
The tall Panamanian southpaw had moved off whereas deftly selecting out lengthy, straight again palms. She smacked proper hooks throughout, simply catching Ngamba on the way in which in.
However Ngamba introduced herself proper again into the competition within the second spherical. She rocked Bylon again on her heels with a heavy cross and located the more practical punches.
The gang on the well-known tennis venue was invested within the motion, chanting “Cindy, Cindy” again and again.
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Ngamba outlined her inspirational story forward of representing the IOC Refugee Olympic Crew
Ngamba stored the stress on Bylon within the final spherical, persevering with her advance.
The Panamanian did time a proper hook expertly, tipping Ngamba to the aspect. However nonetheless Ngamba fought exhausting, a proper hook clattering off Bylon’s headguard.
She was forcing Bylon to carry too typically and the referee did deduct a degree after a warning. Within the remaining 30 seconds they held their floor and exchanged furiously.
The purpose deduction meant they had been degree 28-28 on three playing cards. These judges then needed to vote for the winner and Bylon was their decide, leaving her with a razor-thin break up choice victory and a spot in Saturday’s 75kg remaining.
That may be a historic for Bylon too. She is Panama’s first Olympic boxing medallist, solely the fourth athlete from any sport to medal for the nation at an Olympic Video games.