Noelle Roorda won Women's Javelin F46 at World Para Athletics Championships 2025
Her tattoo features the formula s = v × t, highlighting her love for maths
Roorda's mental conditioning includes solving puzzles before competitions
She admires Thomas Rohler's technique and aims for Paralympic gold
What would make the perfect tattoo for a world champion javelin thrower? Something that speaks to the sport, to the person, maybe even to both. For Noelle Roorda, the answer is written in numbers. Etched on her tricep is the formula s = v × t (distance = velocity × time), a simple equation that reflects her world, and one that seemed to shine just as brightly as she did at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Saturday, 27 September.
Newly crowned a world champion, Roorda’s joy was impossible to miss as she soared to victory in the Women’s Javelin Throw F46 at the World Para Athletics Championships 2025, with her tattoo adding an extra spark to the moment.
The tattoo reflects her love of mathematics, the very reason she first fell for the javelin’s soaring flight, and it mirrors the precision of her career. Away from competition, she still finds calm in numbers, studying maths between training sessions.
Just like her throw, her tattoo is measured, exact, and unmistakably hers. Becoming a world champion has brought her closer to her ultimate goal, with her eyes already set on the world record and a Paralympic medal.
Numbers follow her everywhere, even into her pre-match rituals. When asked about her mental conditioning, she laughed and said, “Sudoku.” She carries a whole book of puzzles and, in the call room before the final, scribbled away to settle her nerves.
“Well, waiting in the call room, I was doing puzzles, Sudoku. I had ten minutes, and it was the first time I did that,” she explained. “I was really nervous, and I was like, okay, let me divert my mind. So I was writing, writing, and my hands were shaking, shaking, and I kept telling myself, ‘stay focused, stay focused.’”
When asked if the puzzle was a hard one or an easy one, she grinned. “Oh, I have a book full of them. I like to keep myself busy, distract my mind before competition, and it really helps me focus.”
Away from the numbers, Roorda keeps it light. She is a fan of card games, happy to sit down and play UNO or just unwind with friends.
Roorda had her best season yet, and in her words, the world championship was just the “cherry on top.” She hit her personal best of 43.74 meters and reflected on her year.
“This was the best season of my life. I hit my PB two times, and I did really hard work all season,” she said. “The whole season was just amazing, and winning here is like putting the cherry on the cake. The world record is getting closer. It’s still far, but I can get there.”
Roorda wasn’t always destined for athletics. In fact, her sporting journey began with football and tennis, playing alongside able-bodied athletes. But javelin stole her heart.
“I played tennis and football all my life,” she said. “There was a Paralympic talent day in the Netherlands, where you get to try every sport. I used to play with able-bodied athletes, but then I tried javelin, and I instantly fell in love.”
She loves javelin because the results are immediate. In 2018, she tried jumping and running, but nothing clicked.
“When you throw the javelin in the air, you can see your performance. You can enjoy the flight, and you can see your own work, that is the coolest part,” she explained.
The 25-year-old had been ranked World No. 1 last year heading into Paris, handling the pressure of the Paralympics with poise. However, Roorda isn’t your average para-athlete. Unlike most of her competitors, she sees herself reaching the heights of her able-bodied counterparts.
“Able-bodied athletes throw around 50 meters, and that’s the goal. I learned so much competing with them,” she said.
“All my inspirations have been able-bodied athletes,” she added. “When I played tennis, Roger Federer was one of my heroes.”
Once she switched to javelin, though, she looked up to another icon from her neighbouring country. Germany’s Thomas Rohler had won gold medals in both the 2016 Rio Games and the European Championships two years later, and Roorda had found her spiritual mentor.
“Thomas Rohler has been a big influence,” she said. I like to throw gracefully, without just putting in power. Thomas Rohler does that perfectly – power and speed, but also graceful, almost like dancing. That’s why I admire him so much.”
She trains with other javelin specialists, including former world champion and Athens Olympics silver medallist Steffi Nerius, and Ronald Vetter, father of Olympic silver-winning heptathlete Anouk Vetter. Roorda calls her style a “dance-around” technique, a smooth, technical approach she shares with Rohler.
She even bought a ticket to watch the javelin final at the Paris Olympics in 2024, including Neeraj Chopra.
“Yes, I’ve seen him (Neeraj) throw. I bought the ticket for the javelin night, but that’s the closest I’ve ever seen him,” Roorda said. “It was really special to watch them live, to see the power and precision up close.”
The Dutch athlete’s resume is near-perfect. World champion? Check. European champion? Check. The only one missing is a Paralympic gold.
“Winning the world championship is special in so many ways. It’s the one major medal Thomas Rohler hasn’t claimed; that’s what makes this moment even more special,” she said. “But he’s got an Olympic gold, so now it’s my turn!”
The closest Roorda has come was winning a silver in Tokyo, but her conviction to do one better is obvious while answering, raising her arms in triumph, a celebration half-serious but fully earned.
And in her signature style, following numbers, solving puzzles, and dancing around the field, Noelle Roorda is ready to piece together the final elements of her journey: the Paralympic gold and the world record, in a way that looks just perfect.