Boxing 1st World Qualification Tournament 2024: Cindy Ngamba becomes first ever Boxing Refugee Team member to secure Olympic quota
The 75kg boxer secured an impressive stoppage win in the women’s quarter-finals in Busto Arsizio, while Team GB’s Chantelle Reid and Patrick Brown also secured Olympic quotas for Paris 2024, live on Olympic Channel.
Cindy Ngamba made history on the final day of the Road to Paris 1st World Qualification Tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy, on Monday (11 March), becoming the first ever Boxing Refugee Team member to secure an Olympic quota.
The Cameroon-born boxer, who relocated to the UK aged 11 and is one of 70 IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holders. secured an impressive stoppage victory over Kazakhstan's Valentina Khalzova in the women’s 75kg quarter-finals, live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the official Olympics app.
With four Olympic berths available to secure in this weight category, Ngamba and the other quarter-final winners will not box again in the tournament, having each secured a berth for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
While two boxers did represent the IOC Refugee Olympic Team at Tokyo 2020 in 2021, they were both competing through invitation rather than qualification.
If selected for Paris 2024, Ngamba will also become the first ever female refugee boxer to compete in the team at the Olympics.
“Every time I fight, I always take the challenge as an opportunity to learn,” Ngamba told Olympics.com after her win.
“My goal was to qualify and I’ve qualified, but that’s not the end of the game. All I can do is improve every time. I’m an open-minded person. I like to learn, I like to improve, and any person that I come across, I always learn from them. They can hit me with a good shot and I’m like, ‘you know what, next time let me try that’.”
“I want to thank my town Bolton. (I’m) The first ever female to qualify in Bolton after (GB male boxer and Athens 2004 Olympic silver medallist) Amir Khan.
“I want to thank God, the GB Boxing team, and the Refugee Team. Without them, I would be nowhere.
“It’s emotional. If it wasn’t for the Refugee Team I would have turned pro or gone on a different journey. They stuck with me and welcomed me like a big family. They love me, care for me, and support me all the way. I want to thank the refugee team for everything they’ve done for me.
“My goal for Paris 2024 is to get a gold medal - or any medal. All I have to do is work hard, mind my business, keep my mind on my job, and I will get it.”
Chantelle Reid and Patrick Brown secure quotas for Team GB
Shortly after Ngamba’s heroics, her training partner, Team GB’s Chantelle Reid, also secured a quota for Paris 2024 with victory over Uzbekistan’s Aziza Zokirova in the other women’s 75kg quarter-final.
“Honestly, I’ve worked hard for the past five months straight for this. I’ve earnt this and I’m over the moon. I can’t wait (for Paris 2024), I’m ready for it,” Reid told Olympics.com after her bout.
“I’ve only been back in the sport for just over a year now. Now look at me! This victory has taught me that I’m more than capable of getting that gold medal in Paris.”
There was more success for Great Britain in the form of Patrick Brown, who secured an Olympic quota courtesy of his men’s 92 kg quarter-final win over Poland’s Mateurz Bereznicki.
“It means the world to me, I’ve been dreaming of this since seven years of age and I first went to a boxing gym. It means the world to show kids in amateur boxing clubs that anything is possible,” Brown told Olympics.com.
“I've only been with Team GB for two years and to qualify for Paris... I’m always confident and I’m fully focussed on getting a medal now.”
It wasn't such good news for the United States, however, with Jamar Talley losing to Kazakhstan's Oralbay Aibek in the men's 92kg division, while Shera Mae Patricio was defeated by Thailand's Jutamas Jitpong - both by unanimous deicision.
Elsewhere in the first session of the final day in Busto Arsizio, Jesus Cova (Venezuela), Ruslan Abdullaev (Uzbekistan), Obada Alkasbeh (Jordan), and Bakhodur Usmonov (Tajikistan) secured Olympic quotas in the men's 63.5kg category.
Lazizbek Mullojonov (Uzbekistan), Oralbay Aibek (Kazakhstan), and Enmanuel Reyes Pla (Spain) joined GB's Brown in securing quotas in the men's 92kg division.
Omar Shiha (Norway), Diego Lenzi (Italy), Djamili-Dini Aboudu Moindz (France), and Nelvie Raman Tiafack (Germany) secured the quotas in the men's +92kg category.
On the women's side, Sara Cirkovic (Serbia), Jutamas Jitpong (Thailand), Sirine Charaabi (Italy), and Thi Kim Anh Vo (Vietnam) secured quotas at 54kg.
Chelsey Heijnen (Netherlands), and Donjeta Sadiku (Kosovo) secured two out of three quotas at 60kg, while Maria Altagracia Moronta Hernandez (Dominican Republic), Nien Chin Chen (Chinese Taipei), Angela Carini (Italy), and Aneta Rygielska (Poland) obtained quotas at 66kg.
Sunniva Hofstad (Norway) and Elzbieta Wojcik (Poland) joined Ngamba and Reid in securing quotas at 75kg.
Action continues with the evening session, live on Olympics.com and the official Olympics app for mobile devices.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.