Thousands of miles from her home in Nottingham, in a drawer in Cameroon's capital Yaoundé, an Olympic bronze medal sits uncollected. It belongs to Madias Ngake, but she has never held it — and may never set eyes on it again.
A Medal Awarded Seven Years Late
Ngake competed for Cameroon at the London 2012 Olympics in weightlifting. Assigned to the B Final — a group for athletes not considered realistic medal prospects — she not only won that session but out-lifted several competitors in the elite division, finishing sixth overall.
Years later, three weightlifters who placed above her were disqualified for doping offences. The revised results elevated Ngake to the bronze medal position, making it Cameroon's sixth Olympic medal in history. The medal was sent to Cameroon, but Ngake had already left and never returned to her homeland.
Fleeing for Safety and Freedom
During the 2012 Games, Ngake's sexuality became known. Homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon and punishable by imprisonment. Fearing for her life, the then 20-year-old made the decision to disappear from the athletes' village rather than return home.
"After I finished competing in 2012, staying was not easy, but I had to take a decision for my safety, for my future, because I saw I did not have a future any more in Cameroon," Ngake says. "I'm a lesbian, I love women and it's not allowed in Cameroon."
The decision to seek asylum meant sacrificing the life she knew. With no friends, no home, and no money, she spent roughly two months sleeping on the streets — sometimes on buses, sometimes outdoors. She washed in public places and struggled to maintain basic hygiene. Eventually, she formally applied for asylum and was placed in temporary accommodation while her case was reviewed.
Building a New Life from Scratch
Nearly five years passed before Ngake obtained the paperwork needed for permanent paid employment. During that time, she gave no thought to weightlifting or any sport. She simply focused on building a life in the UK.
She eventually found work as an office cleaner — a job she held for nine years, first in Leeds and later in Nottingham. Few people around her knew anything about her elite sporting background.
"At first, I was an office cleaner and yes, that was my full-time job for nine years," the now 34-year-old says. "I was in Leeds, then I moved to Nottingham."
Her early sporting career had shown real promise. Born in Douala, Cameroon's largest city, she placed fourth at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, matching the total of India's bronze medallist Laishram Devi but losing out on a podium place by virtue of weighing more. She left that contest on a stretcher after passing out moments after a successful 121kg lift.