CINDY NGAMBA had to settle for bronze at the Olympics after she was knocked out by Atheyna Bylon in the 75kg semi-final on Thursday night.
Namba took out the first round holding all five cards but came back and attacked in the second. It looked like he was on his way to the final on Saturday when Bylon was stripped of a point by finishing third.
However, the Panamanian did enough to win 4-1 in split decisions, ending Ngamba's unforgettable Parisian journey.
The 25-year-old, who was born in Cameroon but moved to the UK when he was 10, joined the Refugee Olympic Team and the bronze he got for his run in the semi-finals was their first ever medal. .
There was a roar at Roland Garros when the decision was announced, in support of Ngamba – not that Bylon cared as he danced around the ring in celebration of the result.
The tall southpaw from Panama started well, keeping things long for Ngamba, who was constantly trying to close the distance and work in close. Namba was a few hands to the right when he first attacked but Bylon quickly settled down.
It is not surprising that the judges thought that he had won the first one but Ngamba came out with renewed energy in the second one, much to the delight of the crowd who chanted his name as he began to enjoy success. A sharp right hand with one minute left in the second game started the pressure on Ngamba and four of the five judges won the second.
But the pendulum swung again in the third as Bylon began to knock Ngamba out with a right check hook on his southpaw, one of which nearly dropped the University of Bolton graduate.
However, it looked like disaster struck Panama when the referee took away a point from Bylon for insistence. At that point he was on thin ice and was told again that there were 30 seconds left.
But even with that reduction, Bylon sought a summary judgment. Namba will return home knowing that he made history for his team in Paris.
In the previous round, an upset looked to be on the cards when Australia's Caitlin Parker won the first round in the eyes of all five judges against China's Li Qian.
However, he let it slip in the second and third as Li took over, landing a steady right hand. The rounds were competitive but he did enough in the eyes of the judges to make it a unanimous decision, coming out with Bylon in the final.
Earlier, the men's 57kg final was decided. First, Uzbekistan's Abdulmalik Khalokov, a 1-0 specialist, beat Australia's Charlie Senior 5-0. Then Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu of Kyrgyzstan also secured at least the silver with a 4-1 win over Javier Ibanez Diaz of Bulgaria.
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