Women's boxing medal hopeful Tammara Thibeault drops opening bout in Paris

VILLEPINTE — Tammara Thibeault didn't anticipate her Olympic journey to end swiftly, but that's what happened Wednesday at the North Paris Arena.

The Canadian boxer was eliminated from the 75-kilogram women's tournament in her first bout at the Paris Games, upset in the Round of 16 by Cindy Ngamba, a Cameroonian boxer fighting for the EOC Refugee Team.

"Obviously, the fight didn't go the way I wanted," said Thibeault, still visibly in shock. "It happens, it's sports. There are days when (the punches) come out better than others. Today just wasn't my day."

Thibeault had been considered a medal favourite in Paris, having not lost a fight since her fifth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics, bringing her streak to 25.

The 27-year-old from Shawinigan, Que., entered the Olympics as the current world champion — a title won in 2022 before several nations boycotted the 2023 world championships to protest against the International Boxing Association — and a two-time Pan American Boxing gold medallist.

Ngamba, meanwhile, was unseeded in the tournament — but the disparity in their resumes wasn't apparent Wednesday.

Ngamba won by a score of 3-2 from the five judges. She beat Thibeault 30-27 on one card and 29-28 on two cards, while Thibeault won on the other two cards in the split decision.

After a solid start from Thibeault, Ngamba finished strong, claiming the third round on four cards to secure the win.

"In the first round, (Thibeault) followed the game plan. We really felt it was going well," said Canadian team coach Vincent Auclair. "There was one judge who didn't agree, but that happens. We were surprised, but it wasn't too serious, we had a 4-1 lead.

"In the second round, we wanted to do the same, but she was able to sync her left to get over Tammara's hands. That might have cost us the round."

Ngamba is one victory away from clinching the Refugee Team's first Olympic medal. She fights France's Davina Michel on Sunday in the women's 75-kilogram quarterfinals.

"She had a plan, my opponent adjusted well," Thibeault said. "She won the fight. It's as simple as that. It was a good fight. She's a good opponent. It didn't go my way, that's sports."

Canada's boxing medal hopes now rest on Wyatt Sanford in the 63kg category.

Sanford, also a gold medallist at the last Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, will step into the ring Thursday for his quarterfinal bout against Uzbekistan's Ruslan Abdullaev.

Canada has not won an Olympic boxing medal since David Defiagbon's heavyweight silver in Atlanta in 1996, a 28-year drought. The last Canadian gold medal in boxing dates back to the Seoul Games in 1988, when Lennox Lewis won the super heavyweight tournament.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2024.

Frederic Daigle, The Canadian Press