REFUGEE Olympic team boxer Cindy Ngamba claimed a bronze medal after being beaten by Panama’s Atheyna Bylon in the women’s 75kg semi-final.

The British-based fighter lost by split decision but earned the Refugee Olympic Team’s first ever medal at a Games.

Ngamba was born in Cameroon and moved to Britain at the age of 11, but has faced challenges obtaining citizenship since and was at one point sent to a detention camp with her brother, Kennet, due to a paperwork issue.

She feared deportation back to Cameroon, where a return would be unsafe due to her sexuality, as homosexuality is illegal there.

An energetic start to the bout saw Ngamba clipped by Bylon a couple of times and although the refugee fighter grew into the round, she struggled to land her punches and the first round went unanimously to the Panama boxer.

The second round resembled a wrestling match at the start, but both fighters went on to land some good body shots and Ngamba threw a flurry of punches to cheers from the crowd to level the contest.

Bylon threw a tidy uppercut at the start of a scrappy third round, but was then penalised for repeated holding. Ngamba managed to break through and land a couple more blows but Bylon was ruled the victor.

“It means the world to me to be the first ever refugee to win a medal,” Ngamba told reporters. “I want to say to all the refugees around the world … keep on working hard, keep on believing in yourself.”