Noelle Lambert

Started: She took up Para athletics in May 2017 at Fortitude Health and Training in Manchester, NH, United States of America. (uslaxmagazine.com, 17 Dec 2018) Reason: After she was fitted with her first running prosthesis in April 2017, she began running with coach Kirstin Kochanek as a form of rehabilitation in order to return to playing lacrosse for her college. After graduating in 2019, coaches from the US national Para athletics team suggested she try out for the team, and she set herself the goal of competing at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "As for Para athletics, it's my stubborn mindset of constantly wanting to improve. Nothing is ever good enough." (goriverhawks.com, 27 Apr 2019; bostonglobe.com, 25 Jan 2019; uslaxmagazine.com, 17 Dec 2018) Ambition: To compete in athletics at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris and in snowboard at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (usopm.org, 01 Jun 2024; mvtimes.com, 15 May 2024) Awards: While competing for University of Massachusetts Lowell, in 2019 she received the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award, which is given to students who have overcome personal, academic or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in college athletics. (goriverhawks.com, 14 May 2019) In 2019 she received the Heroes Among Us Award from US basketball team the Boston Celtics. The award is given to an individual or individuals who have made exceptional and lasting contributions to the community. (lowellsun.com, 29 Jan 2019) In 2018 she received the inaugural America East Inspiration Award. The award is given to college athletes whose perseverance, dedication and determination is used to overcome life-altering events. (goriverhawks.com, 27 Apr 2019; americaeast.com, 2018) Additional Info: SNOWBOARDING She first tried Para snowboarding in March 2021, and began training in the sport seriously after competing in athletics at the 2020 Paralympic Games. She has aspirations to compete in snowboard at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. "It probably wasn't the smartest idea trying to pick up snowboarding five months before Tokyo, but every weekend I was going. It was crazy. I was falling in love with it. I didn't even tell my track coach I was snowboarding. I was just like, I'm just not going to tell him yet because I knew he would yell at me. But I would show up on Monday extremely sore and I would tell him and he'd say, 'I must have worked you really hard on Friday', and I'm like, 'Yeah, that's exactly what it was'. I knew from track [athletics] experience, the best way is just to dive in. I signed myself up for the first track meet I found and just showed up and then I improved after that. So that's exactly what I'm doing for snowboarding." (usopm.org, 01 Jun 2024; paralympic.org, 24 Nov 2021) OTHER ACTIVITIES She is the founder of a non-profit organisation called the Born To Run Foundation. The foundation helps provide specialised prosthetics to younger adults and children. "After learning the costs of prosthetics and how insurance companies will only cover everyday prosthetics, it inspired me to start my own foundation to give back to others." (Instagram profile, 24 Feb 2021; The Born To Run Foundation Instagram profile, 13 Sep 2019; uml.edu, 2019; theborntorunfoundation.org, 15 Aug 2018) LACROSSE She played lacrosse at the University of Massachusetts Lowell prior to her accident, and sat out her sophomore year [2017] during her rehabilitation. After she was fitted with her first running prosthesis in April 2017, she was cleared to play lacrosse halfway through her junior year [2018] by the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA]. She scored in her first game back for her college in April 2018. "I remember asking my lacrosse coach Carissa Medeiros if I was still on the team when she visited me in hospital after my accident. Sports were always a huge part of my life. Right away I had this mindset where I was going to return to the field any way I can." (goriverhawks.com, 27 Apr 2019; bostonglobe.com, 25 Jan 2019)

Sporting Relatives: Her partner Mark Beirne has played lacrosse for Southern New Hampshire University in the United States of America. (Instagram profile, 28 Jan 2021; Mark Beirne Instagram profile, 26 Jan 2021)