ABOUT
Noah
THE BOY THAT GREW FROM CONCRETE
My name is Noah Mbuyamba. I was born in the Netherlands on the 11th of September 1998 to a Dutch mother and a Congolese father. I am the oldest of 5 brothers. I have a bachelor’s degree in medicine, but currently I am focused on building up a professional career as a track and field athlete. I train, eat and sleep with one goal in mind and that’s competing in the Paralympic Games of 2024 in Paris. My events are the 100m and long jump. Along the way I aim to build up a great team around me that will help me to inspire and motivate others. This is my ultimate goal next to winning medals.
NOAH'S
Journey
What I remember most about my days as a young kid- next to the brotherly fights we had at home- was the passion and joy with my brothers shared in playing soccer. Not only me and my brothers, but also with my friends. This is what kept us together and grew into beautiful life- long connections. I played soccer until the age of 18. Even played at the 4th highest youth- level in the Netherlands. I did quite well in school, got my first job, but this all changed when me and two friends decided to travel to Indonesia during July 2017.
On the 4th day our journey, I got into an accident. We went to look for help in three hospitals, but they did not help me in any way. Nor did the Dutch emergency center act appropriately. In the first hospital they told me that I should be fine because I had no broken bones. Meanwhile my leg was starting to feel numb, and I slowly lost the ability to move it. By the time we got to the second hospital, sensatory and motor abilities where pretty much gone completely. They diagnosed me with a compartment syndrome. This meant I needed surgery a.s.a.p.
Tragically enough the doctors did absolutely nothing. I did not even get anything to numb the pain and to make matters even worse the two doctors who were supposed to perform surgery on me, told me “A few days rest and you will be fine.”. As a last resort I went to a public hospital. It was overpopulated, dirty and chaotic. They left me waiting in pain for two days and surgery kept on getting delayed.
2017
2019
2023
2024
By that time, it had been 5 days since the accident, and I was now living with the fear to die alone in that hospital far away from home. It was no longer just a surgery I needed, it turned into a matter of life and death. At- what could have been the last hours of my life- I got transported to Singapore with an ambulance plane. This is when I finally got help. We only had one choice: amputation of my right leg. This is how they saved my life. This is what changed my life forever.
Soccer was no longer an option for me and I needed to move on. I showed to have strong mentality and set a clear new goal for myself: Competing in the Paralympic Games. I started to work for it even when I was still in the hospital. The dream grew when one of the nurses asked me “Why don’t you become the new blade- runner?”. She believed in me and honestly so did I. It all grew from there and I went through a lot of obstacles on my path. A path that has turned out to be harder and longer than I imagined, but me and the team around me grew stronger by the day. It grew to a point where I now compete on an international level and things are looking positive towards competing in the games in Paris 2024! This is my journey so far and it is far from over.
MOTIVATIONAL
SPEAKER
THE BOY THAT GREW FROM CONCRETE
I want to share my story, so that I can share the valuable lessons I have learned along the way. After the accident my mentality has been shifted and I believe I can get others to change theirs.
By sharing my story, I want to add meaning to my career. I say this because in my opinion the world of professional sports is very egocentric, and this actually is a must. We all must be selfish to a certain extend to reach the top, but I can give back to society by sharing my story. In that way I want to inspire and motivate others.
This is what I can give as a “Speaker”.
COLLABORATIONS
Noah has been approached by many big brands for his unique story and appearance which he carries with pride. He has done several campaigns, one of which is for Nike where he was on all the store banners for their new weatherized collection through entire Europe and even Asia.
AChievements
2022
No.6 in the world
100m in 13.22 sec
2022
Personal Best
Long Jump is 6.55m
2014
Unofficial Dutch Record
60m Indoor
2022
No.3 in the world
Long Jump 6.45m
Paris 2022 Grand Prix
3rd Place
Long Jump
2014
Unofficial Dutch Record
60M Indoor
2022
No. 6 in the world
100m in 13.22 sec
2022
No. 3 in the World
Long Jump 6.45M
2022
Personal Best
Long Jump is 6.55m
Paris 2022 Grand Prix
3rd Place
In Long Jump
SPONSORS
We proudly present the sponsors who support the journey of Noah. Every single one has a key role in pushing him further by creating opportunities to excel.