Paralympic Record Holder Shares Keys to Overcoming Adversity

On March 6, the Belmont Hill community gathered for Chapel to hear the inspiring story of paralympic athlete Noelle Lambert. 

Ms. Lambert was a Division 1 lacrosse standout at the University of Massachusetts Lowell when she lost her left leg in a moped accident in 2016. “The first thing I thought of? It was sports and it was lacrosse,” Ms. Lambert revealed. “Because I didn’t know who I was as a person without being an athlete in some sort of way. ”

Ms. Lambert worked tirelessly to return to the lacrosse field alongside her teammates. “I made a vow to myself that I didn’t want to let this one accident define the rest of my life and define the person I wanted to become,” she said. In her first game back, she delivered on her vow and scored the most memorable goal of her career. 

After college, Ms. Lambert was encouraged to pursue track and field as a para-athlete. Despite her inexperience, she shined on the international stage in 2019 when she broke the American record in the women’s 100-meter sprint at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai. In 2021 she placed 6th in the 100-meter event in the Paralympic Games, breaking her own American record.

Following her success in Dubai, Ms. Lambert added a new event to her repertoire: the long jump.  At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Ms. Lambert earned a 4th place finish and in Chapel, demonstrated her commitment to win the gold at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics. 

Through the adversity of this life-altering accident and the challenges that arose on the path to competing as a paralympic athlete on the world’s biggest stage, Ms. Lambert shared with the Belmont Hill community the four lessons that helped her achieve her goals:

• Becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable.
• Using self doubt as motivation.
• Applying yourself 100% to everything that you do.
• Surrounding yourself with the right team.

“When I look back on my accident now, I view it as such a positive and I view it as something to be extremely grateful for,” Ms. Lambert said. “Because not only did it  change the type of athlete and teammate I was, but it has made me a better person. And it has made me realize what’s important in life.”

Following her presentation, Ms. Lambert opened the floor and answered questions from the boys ranging from the nuances of her training regime to her experience as a contestant on the reality tv show Survivor.