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Cameroon’s Cindy Winner Djankeu Ngamba is assured of a bronze medal following unanimous decision in a quarterfinal match.
Out lesbian boxer Cindy Winner Djankeu Ngamba secured the historic first medal for the Refugee Olympic Team when she defeated Davina Michel of France 5-0 in a quarterfinal match on Sunday.
With the victory, Ngamba moves on to the semi-final on Thursday, where she is guaranteed at least a bronze medal and the chance to fight for gold in the final found on Sunday, the Paris Olympics reported in a press release.
The medal will be the first for the Refugee Olympic Team, which was created in 2016 for the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. The refugee team gives elite world-class athletes the chance to compete in the Olympics despite being a refugee from their respective homelands.
Ngamba lives in the U.K. because she cannot return to her homeland for fear of arrest because of her sexual identity.
“This means the world to me. I hope I can change the color of my medal in the next fight,” Ngamba said following the match. “I want to tell the refugees around the world, keep on working hard, keep on pushing yourself and you can accomplish anything.”
Same-sex sexual relations are illegal in Cameroon, a small culturally conservative West African nation on the Gulf of Guinea. Those convicted of violating the country’s feared Penal Code 2016 law face up to five years in prison.
While it is not technically illegal to be LGBTQ+ in the country, security forces and locals nonetheless reportedly target the LGBTQ+ community for harassment and worse.
Even the elite cannot escape the dreaded law outlawing same-sex sexual relations.
Brenda Biya, whose father is Cameroon President Paul Biya, came out via a since-deleted post to Instagram during Pride month this year.
She revealed her relationship with Brazilian model Layyons Valença and posted a photo of the two kissing.
“PS: I’m crazy about you & I want the world to know,” Biya wrote in the post.
Biya lives in the United States and Switzerland but frequently visits her homeland, although some now wonder if she will be subjected to the same laws as the rest of the LGBTQ+ community in Cameroon. Her family was reportedly upset about the post and requested she delete it.
Ngamba fled Cameroon and arrived in the U.K. as a refugee at the age of 11. She could not speak English and faced bullying from students. She soon found her safe spot in the boxing ring and quickly rose due to her dedication and hard work training.
She is one of 37 members of the Refugee Olympic Team, and has been cheered by fellow team members during her matches.
“Cindy reminds us what refugees can and do achieve, how they thrive if they are given the opportunity and what a positive contribution they make to communities around the world,” Jojo Ferris, head of the Olympic Refuge Foundation, said in a statement following the match. “This is a huge moment for Cindy, the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, and 120 million people across the world that have been forced to flee their homes.”
