Micah Lambert On Special Olympics Celebration
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Micah Lambert will be among the competitors in the Special Olympics Celebration at the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix at the Flora Duffy Stadium on April 28.
Lambert represented the island with distinction at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin last summer, winning a gold medal in the men’s individual tennis and will compete in the sprint events at the Grand Prix.
The 20-year-old will be joined by several other local Special Olympic athletes, who have been invited to participate in the celebration, which runs from 3.45 pm to 4.30 pm.
“I started competing in track in January and I’m enjoying it,” Lambert told Bernews. “I really like the 100 metres.
“I’m looking forward to competing at the Grand Prix. I’m excited about it. Sport is a big part of my life. It makes me excited and a little nervous.”
Although Lambert faces challenges gaining employment on the island, as do many local people with disabilities, he is a certified cleaner and works part-time at the Fresh & Hungry Boxing Gym in Warwick.
“I clean the equipment at the gym,” said Lambert, a former Berkeley Institute student. “I’ve been working there for a year and clean three days a week.”
Lambert also recently qualified as an assistant international pickleball coach and released a 2023 calendar highlighting his sporting achievements.
Money raised will go towards covering the costs of an upcoming tennis competition in Hilton Head, North Carolina, in October.
His mother, Grace Lambert, said she hopes her son is given more chances to further his employment opportunities on the island.
“People like Micah don’t get chances to progress [in Bermuda],” she said. “Hopefully more businesses will open up for people like Micah. It’s hard for him, but we’re not giving up.”
Sacha Richardson, the Special Olympics Bermuda board chair, said Lambert exudes a quiet determination and excels at whichever sport he turns his hand to.
“Micah’s a very unassuming character, quiet and humble, but when he comes out, he comes out!” Richardson said.
“He started with us playing tennis, which he still does, and has represented Bermuda at several international games.
“We encourage cross-training in other sporting disciplines, and he has branched out to kayaking and track. He’s very talented and picks up whatever he’s doing.”
Lambert will compete at the Invitational Games at the Flora Duffy Stadium on Monday [April 15] to prepare for the Grand Prix.
Micah’s father, Shaun Lambert, said: “Micah’s an athlete – he loves to compete! He’s one of the fastest in the sprinting events already.”
