The athlete who has never held her Olympic medal
Madias Ngake, a Cameroonian-born weightlifter, will compete for England at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, 14 years after fleeing the London 2012 Olympics rather than return home, where her sexuality had become known and homosexuality is illegal. She endured months of homelessness in the UK before rebuilding her life, and this return to a major multi-sport event marks a remarkable turnaround for an athlete who has never even held the Olympic medal she was retrospectively awarded.
Ngake was awarded a London 2012 bronze medal seven years late after three weightlifters who finished above her were disqualified for doping, but she has never returned to Cameroon to collect it and believes it remains in a drawer in Yaoundé. Now based in Nottingham, she won European bronze for Great Britain earlier this year and says representing Team England at Glasgow 2026 means "a lot" to her, having previously competed for Cameroon at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, where she finished fourth.
- Madias Ngake fled Cameroon after London 2012 fearing persecution over her sexuality
- She has never collected her retrospectively awarded Olympic bronze medal
- Now based in Nottingham, she'll compete for England at Glasgow 2026
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Madias Ngake is a weightlifter originally from Cameroon who left the London 2012 Olympics under extraordinary circumstances. Having competed at those Games, she made the decision to flee rather than return home after her sexuality became known, as homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon and she feared for her safety.
Following her departure from the 2012 Games, Ngake spent months homeless in the United Kingdom before rebuilding her life. She is now based in Nottingham and, seven years after London 2012, was retrospectively awarded a bronze medal when three weightlifters who had finished ahead of her were disqualified for doping—though she has never collected the medal, which remains in Cameroon.
Before the 2012 Olympics, Ngake represented Cameroon at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, finishing fourth. She has since begun competing for Great Britain, winning European bronze earlier this year.