Panama power play just too much for refugee fighter as Bolton-based Cindy Ngamba is beaten by Atheyna Bylo in women’s middleweight semi-final

She was mobile, bold and impervious to being on the wrong end of a considerable size differential on Thursday night, but Cindy Ngamba, the refugee boxer from Bolton, lost and will not box for gold here, despite making Olympic history.

The 25-year-old, who by reaching Thursday night’s middleweight semi-final had already become the first member of the Refugee Olympic Team to medal, was on the wrong end of a split decision in her semi-final against the huge reach of Panamanian Atheyna Bylon.

Ngamba found the combinations and speed of thought to match that power and landed her first significant sequence of blows to edge the second round, having lost out in the first.

Briefly, she left enough contact in that second round to have her opponent reeling. But Bylon was adjudged to have edged a scrappy third round and proceeds to the final.

Ngamba has captured the affections of so many in France, Britain and beyond and this arena rang to chants of ‘Cindy’ from the predominantly French crowd on Thursday night.

Refugee Ngamba was beaten by Panama’s Atheyna Bylo via a split decision at Roland Garros

Ngamba has been one of the most popular fighters at Paris 2024 and fans chanted her name

She felt she might have won and there were jeers when the decision was called.

But it was not to be, despite her throwing so much at the bout. 

It was a contrast to the other semi-final fight in which Chinese fighter Qian Li won a close and edgy bout against Australian Caitlin Parker.

Ngamba’s Olympics are testament to the efforts of GB Boxing, who have worked with her for more than two years, having recruited to their elite programme in Sheffield. 

In her corner on Thursday was Darren Maher, the Merseyside-based coach seconded by the GB team to support her.

But the other GB coaches – Lee Pullen, Dave Alloway, Gary Hale and Graham Alderson and performance director Rob McCracken – have been a major part of her development.

Bylo reacted to confirmation of her victory by sinking to her knees inside the ring in Paris

Ngamba has become the first Refugee Olympic Team member to medal at the Games and has been supported by the GB Boxing set-up in Sheffield for two years 

Ngamba cannot fight for Team GB because she is still seeking British citizenship and a UK passport, 14 years after arriving in the UK to be with her father.

But joining the refugee team has meant her recruitment to a cause for which she has been a flagbearer and ultimately a crusader