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Cindy Ngamba: A Journey of Resilience and Triumph from Bolton to the Paris Olympics

January, 08, 2025-02:53

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Cindy Ngamba: A Journey of Resilience and Triumph from Bolton to the Paris Olympics
At the Elite Boxing Gym in Bolton, a sign at the bottom of the stairs reads, “Leave your ego at the door.” It’s a clear indication of the discipline and dedication required inside, and for Cindy Ngamba, this motto resonates deeply. Ngamba, who has trained at the gym for five years, exemplifies the spirit of hard work, humility, and perseverance.
Not long ago, she was balancing a demanding work schedule with her boxing training. She would catch a bus from Bolton to Bury, transfer to another bus to Burnley, and then cycle to the Boohoo warehouse in Burnley to work night shifts. This grueling routine—a six-hour round trip—was no easy feat. Ngamba, however, found inspiration in her mother, who worked long hours at a market in Sceaux, outside Paris. Her determination to push through these challenges caught the attention of Alex Matienko, who has been running Elite Boxing for 20 years.
Matienko recalls Ngamba’s drive to seek out bigger challenges, making her “so coachable” and setting her on a path toward success. Her victories in boxing tournaments eventually led to her historic achievement at the Paris Olympics in 2024, where she became the first-ever medallist for the Refugee Olympics Team, marking a monumental moment in her career.

Despite her achievements, Ngamba remained grounded. Her incredible journey and the timing of her Olympic success was especially significant in the context of the turmoil unfolding in Bolton at the time. As Ngamba prepared for her Olympic quarter-final fight against French boxer Davina Michel at the Roland Garros Olympic boxing venue, the town of Bolton was reeling from the unrest caused by the racist influencer Tommy Robinson following the tragic Southport stabbing incident. The Elite Gym had arranged for a public screening of Ngamba’s fight, but police concerns about potential flashpoints on Chorley New Road, a key route to the gym, placed those plans in jeopardy.

Ngamba, however, remained focused solely on her training and the Olympic Games, blocking out all distractions. “I was so involved in the boxing and the Olympics that I shut out everything from the outside world,” she says, describing how she deleted all social media, only staying connected with her team via WhatsApp. "If you’d told me that there was this kind of trouble at home, I wouldn’t have believed you, because that’s not my Bolton. We get on together here. It’s why I love the place.”