Boxer Cindy Ngamba made history Sunday: winning a first-ever medal for the Refugee Olympic Team.
Ngamba triumphed on points in a unanimous decision on Sunday against France's Davina Michel.
Now the refugee from Cameroon goes for gold in the 75 kilo boxing semi-finals. Even if she loses her next bout, she is guaranteed a bronze.
Ngamba, now living in the United Kingdom because of her sexuality, had already made history by becoming the first-ever refugee boxer to qualify for the Olympic Games.
She was born in Cameroon and moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 11. She was granted refugee status because of her sexuality. Homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon.
“Being a refugee to me means a life-changing opportunity," she told Olympics.com in March. "A lot of refugees out there all around the world have so many potentials, but they don't have that the doors open for them yet. It’s a big family, all around the world.”
She first played soccer and started boxing when she was 15. She said she discovered boxing by accident at her local youth club when her heard booming coming from one of the rooms. She said walked inside, saw boys punching each other in the head and decided, "This is so cool."
Her trip to the Olympics almost didn't happen. She was close to being deported because of problems with her paperwork and she and her brother spent time in a U.K. detention center, she said.
At the Paris Olympics
One of 37 members of the Refugee Olympic Team in Paris, competing in 12 sports, she is a three-time British amateur champion. But she cannot represent Great Britain because she does not have a British passport.
