Madias Ngake, representing Team England, has secured a silver medal in weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games. The 34-year-old lifted a 128kg barbell, marking a significant achievement in her career.
This success follows a challenging period for Ngake, who fled the London 2012 Olympic village after her competition. She reportedly slept rough for a month, having left Cameroon where homosexuality is illegal, after someone in her team discovered she was a lesbian.
Ngake gave up elite sport for over a decade, returning in 2023 and transferring her allegiance to Britain a year later. She led the women's 87kg competition after the snatch event with a 108kg lift, before Australia's Eileen Cikamatana took gold with a combined lift of 245kg.
Ngake, who was an office cleaner in Leeds for nine years, has recently moved to Nottingham to train full-time. She aims to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. She was also awarded a bronze medal from London 2012 in 2019 after three competitors were disqualified for doping offences, though she has not seen the medal as it was sent to Cameroon.