Cindy Ngamba reflects on first-ever medal for Refugee Olympic Team - Podcast
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00:00The olympics.com podcast special from the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
00:20Paris 2024 has been full of firsts, like boxer Cindy Nagamba making history for the refugee
00:28olympic team by claiming its first ever medal and providing a story of hope for over a hundred
00:35million others like her around the world.
00:38It means the world to me man, I'm just one of millions all around the world and I'm one
00:43of the 37 refugee olympic athletes that was chosen to represent the refugee team in the
00:49olympic and I just proved that through hard work and dedication and believing in yourself
00:55you can achieve many many other things.
00:58And a family first for taekwondo bronze medalist Skylar Park.
01:03How was the Canadian driven to an olympic medal by the little girl who grew up dreaming
01:08of one at her dad's gym in Winnipeg?
01:12Before I went into that final my dad was talking about the younger version of me and he asked
01:19if I was being as brave as a younger version of me would be.
01:24And my answer was no.
01:27So I really, so I really used that in the bronze medal match and just tried to emulate
01:35her and all the hopes and dreams that she had.
01:39So yeah, I think that was a lot of motivation for me in the end.
01:44Nick McCarville here for the olympics.com podcast and we have truly entered the business
01:49end of these Olympic Games Paris 2024.
01:54Hi everyone, it's been an incredibly inspiring three weeks here in the French capital and
02:00Friday we saw more history.
02:03The first medals ever awarded in breaking, or as it's better known, breakdancing.
02:10Japan's B-Girl Ami claimed the women's title going undefeated at the Place de la Concorde
02:17across these Games.
02:19Hers is one of a flurry of medals handed out in recent days.
02:25At the athletics we saw Sha'Carri Richardson finally get her gold, the American sprint
02:29star bringing the US from fourth to first in the anchor leg to claim the 4x100 meter
02:36relay.
02:37Toby Roberts of Team GB won the first ever boulder and lead climbing title at the Games,
02:44while the Brazilian duo of Ana Patricia Silva Ramos and Eduarda Santos Lisboa returned gold
02:52to their volleyball mad nation in the beach volleyball underneath the Eiffel Tower.
02:57It's the first time Brazil has won women's gold in beach since the introduction of the
03:03sport in 1996.
03:07Today we have two special interviews for you.
03:09You heard from Cindy Nagamba and Skylar Park at the start of the show and I want to start
03:14with Skylar.
03:16The Canadian taekwondo star claimed bronze and hers is a true lifetime achievement.
03:22She began the sport at age two with her father, a coach who owned a gym in Winnipeg.
03:29For the Parks, taekwondo is a way of life and Skylar earned her black belt by age seven,
03:36growing up practicing with her brothers, cousins, her father.
03:40It was actually her grandfather who first dreamed Olympic dreams for the family, watching
03:45it at home when it was on TV.
03:48I start our chat by asking Skylar about her grandfather, who had told her to come to Paris
03:55and bring back home a medal.
03:58Here's our chat.
03:59Untold Olympic stories, inspiring interviews and world-class insights in every episode.
04:06He is.
04:07I had an opportunity to call him just a few hours ago.
04:09He was trying to figure out FaceTime, you know, it was a black screen, he had it to
04:13his ear and I was like, no, it's a video and he's like, what?
04:17But we figured it out.
04:18And so I showed him the medal and he's thrilled.
04:21I mean, even before I left to come here, he told me he was proud of me.
04:25And so I think that gives you a little extra bit of confidence, you know, knowing that
04:30there's no pressure there.
04:32He's already proud.
04:34But I mean, he's always said to bring home an Olympic medal.
04:36And so I'm grateful to be able to do that.
04:39I mean, he's been instrumental in our family and everything we do, especially in Taekwondo.
04:45So yeah, just very, very proud to be able to bring that to him.
04:49And yeah, he's super excited.
04:50My grandma said actually that she was going to pick me up from the airport, but she doesn't
04:55drive.
04:56So we'll see how that goes.
04:58I love that.
04:59I love him not being able to figure out the video.
05:02Exactly.
05:03I think everyone can relate to that with their grandparents.
05:05Yeah, totally.
05:07You know, every Olympian has a family story, right?
05:09Has an origin story.
05:10But Taekwondo has just been such an integral part of your family.
05:14Where does that originate?
05:15And how much of a part of who you are as your family is the sport?
05:22It's huge.
05:23I mean, for us, Taekwondo isn't the sport we do.
05:25It's I mean, it kind of sounds cliche, but it's a lifestyle for us.
05:29And it's the way that our life has kind of been built.
05:32And so my dad was born in Korea, which is in South Korea, which is where the sport of
05:38Taekwondo originates.
05:40And so both my grandparents immigrated with their four kids to Canada when my dad was
05:45eight years old, and he was the youngest of four siblings.
05:49They didn't know where they were going to live.
05:50They didn't speak any English.
05:52They just kind of didn't have very much money either.
05:55They just got on a plane and left.
05:57And so they ended up in Winnipeg.
06:00My dad was actually a speed skater growing up, but he practiced martial arts his whole
06:04life.
06:05And so I'm the fourth generation of martial artists.
06:08My dad's grandfather was also a master in the sport, and my grandfather's a grandmaster
06:14and my dad as well.
06:16And so it's just been passed on from generation to generation.
06:20And my dad opened up a Taekwondo school, kind of wasn't his plans for life, but it just
06:25kind of happened.
06:26His friends were bothering him.
06:27My grandpa said, okay, get it out of your system, do the typical kind of thing and try
06:34it out.
06:35And it kind of took off.
06:36My mom started taking classes.
06:38That's how they met.
06:40And then I was born into the school and crawling around on the mats.
06:44And that's kind of how I started in the sport, even before I could walk.
06:47It's so cool when you describe it that way of it's a family business.
06:51Your parents met that way.
06:53And then you and your two brothers, growing up and being such a part of that school, when
06:59did it start to feel like maybe high level and now you're at the Olympic Games, you have
07:04a bronze medal around your neck.
07:06When did it start to feel like, wow, this could be something I could really excel at?
07:09I think from looking back myself, the dream was planted very early on.
07:15And I think I just had, I was a very competitive person, especially growing up with two younger
07:21brothers.
07:22We were always competing against each other in everything that we did, whether it was
07:25like who could eat breakfast the fastest or who could run the furthest or longest or whatever
07:30it was.
07:31And so I think, but that love for the Olympic Games, I mean, my family are big Olympic fans.
07:36And so I watched it growing up.
07:39And I always loved seeing the athletes march into an Olympic stadium and see the joy of
07:43them winning a medal or just the pride that they had for their country and the work that
07:48went into it and the sacrifices and the emotion that went into it, I think is what really
07:53drawed me towards the Olympic Games.
07:55And so from a young age, that was always the goal.
07:59But yeah, I think I gradually kind of grew into the sport.
08:01I mean, I started it before I could walk.
08:04I got my black belt at seven years old and my whole family did it.
08:07So there's 16 black belts in my family.
08:09And so I loved the sport from the beginning because I was doing it with my cousins, my
08:15brothers, all my friends, my best friends, my uncles, my aunts, everyone that I loved
08:18was doing it together.
08:19And so that love just kind of like propelled me in the sport.
08:24And actually my older cousin, Andrew, he was the first one who kind of stepped into the
08:30competition space and started making a name for himself and for our club in Winnipeg,
08:36the Taron Park Academy, and started kind of putting us on the map.
08:39And I kind of followed in his footsteps.
08:42He was very close to making the Tokyo Olympics with me, but unfortunately fell short and
08:46I was able, gratefully, to qualify.
08:49And now being here in Paris, my brothers trailing behind me, they were close to qualification
08:53as well.
08:54So it's an honor.
08:56And the goal is for all of us to qualify in LA.
09:00I love that.
09:01You're setting the standards high there for the family.
09:04We'll stay on the family topic.
09:05Your father, Jay, is your coach.
09:07So to have him by your side, like you say, for so many years, but then take us with you
09:12into the competition, because it was kind of a roller coaster.
09:15How impactful was your dad throughout this whole process?
09:19Because you lost and actually needed a couple things to go your way to get into that bronze
09:23medal match.
09:24How helpful was dad?
09:25And is that sometimes a balance for you and your father when you've got father as coach
09:30and coach as dad?
09:32The coach-athlete, father-daughter relationship is difficult.
09:37I mean, we love it and we don't know anything different.
09:39So I wouldn't change a thing.
09:41We're best friends, not always when we're training, but outside the ring, we're best
09:46friends.
09:48It's hard in training, though, especially because it's such a family thing.
09:50So when training's not going well or when a competition doesn't go well, it's like the
09:54ride home from after a bad game.
09:57But that's a constant for us.
09:58So we have the drive home.
10:00We're sitting across from each other at the dinner table.
10:03So the vibes aren't always high.
10:05And sometimes when things aren't going well in practice and in the sport aspect of our
10:09lives, it does bleed into the personal aspect of our lives and just finding that balance.
10:15But I think we've been doing it forever.
10:18And so we've been able to, especially recently, as I've gotten older and matured more, been
10:24able to find that balance.
10:26And so, especially yesterday, I think it was crucial.
10:30You know, at the beginning of the day, he said, win together, lose together.
10:33And that's how we approached every single thing that we did.
10:36And we went in as a team.
10:39And yeah, I think, as you said, it was a roller coaster of emotions.
10:42And losing that quarterfinal was obviously disappointing and heartbreaking, knowing that
10:47I didn't have a shot at that gold medal, which is what we ultimately came for.
10:52But he told me to stay positive, hold my head up high, he said, regardless of the results.
10:58He was proud of me and he loved me.
10:59And I think that's really all I needed to hear.
11:03And we had high hopes that the Korean girl, she was looking really good yesterday.
11:07And we had high hopes that she was able to make it.
11:09I was sitting in the stands watching the mat, gripping my mom's hands.
11:12I think they were blue because I was holding them the entire time.
11:16And when we saw that the Korean girl had made it to the finals, I was just overjoyed.
11:21And it was like a second chance and an opportunity that we weren't going to pass up.
11:27And so from that moment forward, I think there was no pressure.
11:30It was all just like, this is a second chance.
11:32We're going to make the most of it.
11:33And we dialed it in and got the job done.
11:36Lastly, Skylar, what's it mean to that young Skylar who was crawling around your dad's
11:40gym to now have an Olympic bronze medal, not only for you, but for the whole family?
11:44I think it means everything.
11:46I didn't, I think you asking that question, actually, it's finally sinking in.
11:53Before, sorry, I didn't even think about it like that.
11:57Take your time.
12:00But before I went into that final, my dad was talking about the younger version of me.
12:06And he asked, or that bronze medal match, he asked if I was being as brave as a younger
12:13version of me would be.
12:16And my answer was no.
12:19So I really, oh my goodness.
12:24So I really used that in the bronze medal match and just tried to emulate her and all
12:31the hopes and dreams that she had.
12:33So yeah, I think that was a lot of motivation for me in the end.
12:37Well, she is proud of you, Skylar, and all of Canada is proud of you.
12:41Congratulations.
12:44Oh my goodness.
12:45Show us that medal.
12:46Come on now.
12:48There we go.
12:49Hey.
12:50I did not expect to cry today, but it's okay.
12:51Me neither.
12:52Oh, thank you.
12:53The olympics.com podcast.
12:54Special from the Olympic Games, Paris, France.
12:56Before the Games, we dedicated an entire episode to the Refugee Olympic Team, which I encourage
13:11you to check out that episode if you haven't already.
13:15The team was born at Rio 2016 and has become a beacon of hope for the over 120 million
13:22refugees worldwide.
13:25The team, which features 37 members here in Paris, had never won a medal until Thursday.
13:33Boxer Cindy Nagamba, a Cameroonian refugee who moved to the UK at age 11, achieved the
13:40historic feat.
13:42She came out as gay at age 18, meaning she could be sent to prison if she ever returned
13:49to Cameroon, where homosexuality is illegal.
13:54But 10 years after she took up the sport, Nagamba claimed Olympic bronze in boxing.
14:00She sat down with olympics.com producer Andrew Binner to tell us what the medal means to
14:04her and so many others around the world.
14:09The olympics.com podcast, special edition from the Olympic Games, Paris, 2024.
14:16It's an honour, full of emotion, positive emotion.
14:22My goal when I came here in the Olympics was to win a gold medal.
14:27Just like any other Olympian, I'm human, I'm not clean, we strive high, we strive for the
14:33highest goal ever, but I'm chauvin', I'm over the moon and I'm just grateful to God and
14:39my team and myself that I was able to get a medal, at least a medal, you know, in bronze
14:44and it's just showing that what I'm capable of, my skills and how good I am, to be able
14:49to not only be a refugee, but to also be a refugee and share the room with all the athletes
14:54that represent their country, because at the end of the day, I'm just another athlete that's
14:59just striving for the highest and, listen, I came out on top and I won a medal.
15:05And the context of that medal is huge, you're obviously a refugee athlete scholarship holder,
15:09what does it mean to you to be part of that greater team?
15:13It means the world to me, man, I'm just one of millions all around the world and I'm one
15:16of the 37 Refugee Olympic athletes that was chosen to represent the refugee team in the
15:22Olympics and all of us are from different sports, I'm just from another sport, you know,
15:27and I had aims and goals and I strive to, you know, all my hard work and my training
15:32and all the years that I put into for this goal, which is to come to the Olympics and
15:36to have won a medal, you know, I just proved that, you know, through hard work and dedication
15:43and believing in yourself, you can achieve many, many other things and at the end of
15:47the day, even though I'm a refugee athlete, at the end of the day, I'm just another athlete,
15:51just like any other athlete that is representing their country and I was representing the refugee
15:55team, I was representing also GB boxing.
15:57I mean, you were really firing in this tournament as well, let's talk about the actual boxing,
16:01you had a really tough first fight and then you reached the semi-finals, how did you feel
16:05in the ring at this Games?
16:09To me, it was just another, you know, the boxing ring has always been my first home,
16:13I usually say my second home because my first home is my family, but I spend more time in
16:19the ring than I see my family, so the boxing ring is my first home, so it was just another
16:24ring, obviously the crowd and the environment was different, but to me it was just another
16:29ring and it's just another opponent that I just had to face and I had tactics and I've
16:34had so many years in boxing training camp, I've shared many, many rounds with those
16:38opponents and I had to just stick to my game and I had a great team on my side and I'm
16:45sure each fight proved that I was able to come on top, but yesterday, it didn't go my
16:51way, but listen, I won a medal and that's all that matters.
16:54So where does your sense of confidence in the ring come from, because I just get the
16:57sense that you truly believe you're going to win every time you step in there, how do
17:01you develop that?
17:04I think it's just from all the obstacles that I've gone through, my obstacles in my papers
17:10and moving to a new country and having to adapt to the lifestyle in the UK and my ups
17:15and downs with my paper situation with the home office, having to apply so many times
17:19and the way I see it, I always tell myself this and I'm going to say on the camera, because
17:26listen, I'm only human, when I'm in the changing room or when I'm about a couple of days before
17:30I file, even training when I feel like it's hard and I don't want to push hard, I just
17:36look at my life in a way of like, there's two things that I think about, there's people
17:40out there that are doing 9 to 5, would I want to do a 9 to 5 and wake up every day to do
17:45that 9 to 5?
17:46No.
17:47Would you want to punch someone for a living, which I think I'm good at and get away with
17:52it?
17:53Yes.
17:54Having to think about going in that ring and feeling the pressure, is it the same pressure
17:57as that moment when I was in that detention camp and that moment when I was going through
18:03so many hardships with my paper, is it similar?
18:05No, it's not similar.
18:06So automatically, I just think it's not the same, so I just get that energy and that strive
18:12and that belief in myself that I'm going to go out there and give my all and empty the
18:17tank, like my first fight is my last fight and I hope that that's what, and I proved
18:22that that's what I did in my first and my second fight and I tried my best on my third
18:25one, but like I said, I'm over the moon that I came on top with the medal.
18:30And that same moment where I felt like, man, I want to give up, this is so painful.
18:34And I know that every time I step in the ring, my opponent won't be able to pull me to that
18:37same time when I was in training camp and I felt like I want to give up.
18:41They know, they can't, because I'm too strong for it.
18:45And every time you do step in the ring, I know you don't see yourself as a role model
18:49and you're just a human, but what do you think this win can symbolise to that over 100 million
18:54refugees globally?
18:55You know, I hope it showed that even though we are given that label of refugee and we
19:02are classed, we are put in a group of refugee, we are just human, just like we are human
19:06and we are athlete, just like any other athlete that I represent in the country, I'm representing
19:10the refugee team.
19:11I have aim, I have strive, I have goals.
19:14And I'm sure many of the refugees, many of the refugees do and many of the athletes that
19:18I represent in the country do.
19:19And listen, I came on top, I won a medal.
19:23I'm over the moon and I hope that I showed to many refugees and actually many refugees
19:28and that I'm not even an athlete and many humans that I represent in the country, athletes
19:32that I represent in the country that to believe and to strive and to hard work and to, you
19:38know, dedication and discipline, you can achieve what I've achieved.
19:42And you inspire so many people now, but I wonder who are the main people that inspire
19:46you?
19:48The main people that inspire me is mainly God, firstly God.
19:53And everyone, every human all around the world, listen, even the refugees, even refugees and
19:58gym boxing, all the athletes, all the refugees all around the world, I'm inspired by even
20:03people that are doing 9 to 5, people that, you know, people that their job is to clean
20:08the street and, you know, because there's people that, there's people that, there's
20:14so many bad things that happen around the world and, you know, and every time I step
20:18in the ring and every time that something doesn't go right in my day, I think about
20:21Cindy, there's people that have it worse.
20:24So when I compare it, I always compare things, maybe it's a bad thing, but for me, it always
20:29seemed to kind of work my way.
20:31I compare and I contract and I'm like, listen, I don't have it that bad as that person.
20:34So I need to fix up and act up very, and act up on what I need to be act up very straight.
20:41And as you know, from today, everyone wants to speak to you now and the attention's been
20:44pretty wild since you've won the bronze medal.
20:46What's the reaction been like?
20:48And has there been a coolest part to being a medal winner?
20:52The coolest part to be a medal winner will be me just being myself, just literally just
20:58being myself.
20:59There's no, nothing fakeness, there's no something that I had to put on.
21:04I've always been myself and I've always said how I is, and I've always opened up about
21:07my emotion.
21:08I've always opened up about how I feel before a fight, after a fight, about all the obstacles
21:13that I've gone through, all the achievement that I've gone through, all the aims and goals
21:17and achievement that I've achieved and what I've achieved.
21:22I've always been my authentic self and I'm always going to keep on being my authentic
21:24self because to be my authentic self, I've always achieved so many things.
21:31Well, Cindy, thank you very much for your time.
21:34Congratulations again on winning the refugee team's first ever medal.
21:38And we really look forward to following your journey in the ring, hopefully going forward.
21:42Thank you very much.
21:44The olympics.com podcast, special from the Olympic Games, Paris, 2024.
21:50That was Andrew Binner with Cindy Nagamba, the bronze medalist in boxing for the refugee
21:55Olympic team.
21:57And earlier we heard from Skylar Park, who also won a bronze in taekwondo.
22:04That's all on this episode of the olympics.com podcast.
22:08For more coverage, head to olympics.com as we reach the completion of these memorable
22:14games.
22:15And we're ready for the closing ceremony set for Stade de France, Sunday evening at nine
22:20o'clock Paris time.
22:23I'm Nick McCarville.
22:24Thanks so much for listening.
22:25We're going to be back on Monday with a roundtable wrap up of all things Paris 2024.
22:32We hope you can join us.
22:35The best of Paris 2024 on the olympics.com podcast.