In July 2015 for the first time in the decorated history of the Pacific Games, the premier multi-sport event in the Oceania region, former Rio Olympic boxer Jennifer Dugwen Chieng became the first Micronesian female athlete to win gold since the Games' inception in 1963.
After an outstanding Pacific Games campaign that culminated with a boxing gold medal Dugwen was awarded "Best Female at the 2015 Pacific Games" alongside London 2012 boxing Olympic gold medalist Katie Taylor who was awarded "Best Female at the 2015 European Games" by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), underlining the huge impact women's boxing has had since AIBA introduced it into the Olympic program at London 2012.
"These awards are a recognition of how far women's boxing has come in the short time since we introduced it to the Olympic program at London 2012" said AIBA President Ching-Kuo Wu. "The women's events have proved to be as competitive as they are impressive and a fantastic addition to the world of boxing, thanks in no small part to these two great athletes that I would like to vividly congratulate for their accomplishments."
A year later in August 2016 Dugwen's incredible display of heart and composure in her Olympic debut performance won the crowd that throughout the fight roared a thunderous "Jennifer!!!" in the Olympic stadium. NBC Sports commentators stated "Not only is she carrying the flag, but she's also carrying the fight for FSM."
Dugwen is also a 2015 NY Daily News Golden Gloves Champion, having won her finals bout at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. On March 12, 2019 Dugwen published her first book, "Badass Boxing Workouts: A Hard-Hitting Program to Smash Stress, Have Fun and Get in the Best Shape of Your Life", under Ulysses Press. She later won her second gold medal at the 2019 Pacific Games.
Dugwen recently cast as Karima in Netflix's 'Bruised', a 2020 sports drama film starring and directed by Halle Berry (in her directorial debut). Dugwen is currently managed by Battlescar Management.