Cindy Ngamba’s inspiring Olympic campaign for the refugee team came to an end in Paris on Thursday.
She lost a split-decision verdict in the middleweight semi-final to Panama’s Atheyna Bylon at Roland Garros.
It means Ngamba finishes with a bronze medal, a historic achievement nevertheless. She is the first refugee athlete to medal at an Olympic Games in any sport.
But the pain of the defeat was raw in the immediate aftermath as Ngamba had pressed Bylon hard.
Born in Cameroon and based in the UK with refugee status as she looks to resolve her citizenship, Ngamba trailed Bylon after their first round.
The tall Panamanian southpaw had moved off while deftly picking out long, straight back hands. She smacked right hooks across, just catching Ngamba on the way in.
But Ngamba brought herself right back into the contest in the second round. She rocked Bylon back on her heels with a heavy cross and found the more effective punches.
The crowd at the famous tennis venue was invested in the action, chanting “Cindy, Cindy” over and over.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Ngamba outlined her inspirational story ahead of representing the IOC Refugee Olympic Team
Ngamba kept the pressure on Bylon in the last round, continuing her advance.
The Panamanian did time a right hook expertly, tipping Ngamba to the side. But still Ngamba fought hard, a right hook clattering off Bylon’s headguard.
She was forcing Bylon to hold too often and the referee did deduct a point after a warning. In the final 30 seconds they held their ground and exchanged furiously.
The point deduction meant they were level 28-28 on three cards. Those judges then had to vote for the winner and Bylon was their pick, leaving her with a razor-thin split decision victory and a place in Saturday’s 75kg final.
That is a historic for Bylon too. She is Panama’s first Olympic boxing medallist, only the fourth athlete from any sport to medal for the country at an Olympic Games.