Raekwon Noel
Raekwon Jibril Noel (born December 21, 2005) in Brooklyn, New York is an American-Guyanese competitive swimmer and model who specializes in butterfly and freestyle distance events. The award winning swimmer is one of the most prominent and influential names in the swimming industry across the Caribbean. Born in Brooklyn , New York and raised in Georgetown, Guyana, Noel grew up swimming having spent much of his childhood at the pool learning the strokes, gaining stamina and experience. Raekwon launched his foundation ¨The Raekwon Noel Foundation¨ in November of 2020 hoping to expand the hopes and dreams of kids in Guyana who are underprivileged and cannot afford the sport.
At just 17 years old, Raekwon Noel holds 10 national records and recently qualified with A-times for seven events at the recently concluded CARIFTA trials held in Guyana. Raekwon’s A-times were more than all of the other athletes who took part in the meet, setting him apart as a swimming force to be reckoned with.
Personal Life[edit]
Raekwon Jibril Noel was born December 21, 2005 in Brooklyn, New York. Noel moved back to the United States in August 2021 where he attends Highland Regional School and trains with the South Jersey Aquatic Club under coaches Louis Petto and Peter Holcroft. He was named Athlete of the month at his school twice and Spotlight student of the month once in the span of one year. Noel also won HHS People´s Choice Awards in 2022 and is nominated for another People's Choice Award in 2023. Noel will begin competing competing collegiately for Indiana University in the fall of 2024.[3][5] He also made a name for himself there by being named one of the greatest athletes of all time at Highland.
Career[edit]
Raekwon Noel is a professional athlete, student and model. As of February 2023, he is a junior in High School. His success in swimming has made him win over 150 medals. Noel is an 10x national record holder, he also holds 5 school records for his high school and 2 team records for his club. According to Stabroek News (Guyana), Noel is aiming to attend the Paris 2024 Olympiad in hopes of expanding his swimming experience. “At the age of 12 he knew that the water was always for him and that swimming would be the sport that he would love. He began swimming at the Colgrain Pool (Guyana) and then later progressed to reach higher levels at the National Aquatic Center Guyana” (Stabroek News). After ending up in the deep end of a hotel pool in Guyana, and trying to find his way back out until being pulled out by his mother, Raekwon would be placed into the swim club. Since then, he has not stopped and looks back fondly at the memory that launched his swim career. Noel hopes to become a pro in swimming in the future having hopes of competing for his home (USA). He also wants to expand the hopes and dreams of little kids all across the globe with The Raekwon Noel Foundation which is a company he started and is now the CEO of in November 2020. At the 6th Annual Gator Classic Swim Meet in New Jersey, (December 2-5th 2021), Noel broke three individual meet records which includes the 100 and 200 yard backstroke and the 1650 yard freestyle also taking home 4 individual first place finishes, one second place finish and one third. Noel is the recipient of numerous accolades including over 150 medals from various swim meets held in the Caribbean, 26 trophies from his outstanding achievements and more. He is also the first person to win a medal ever at the 1st Caribbean Games making history in Guadeloupe in June 2022. In January 2023 Noel earned the status of being Tri-County Champion in the State of New Jersey in the 100 yard butterfly and is ranked 5th in the state for his class. Despite his obvious talent, he has not always gained the support he needed from the relevant associations. “I have experienced discrimination in Guyana and that is what really made me move to the US. That and the fact that there are so much better coaches in the US. The US is very diverse and I was born here so it felt like home in a special way. But for now, I will still be competing for Guyana internationally. Guyana is an extremely difficult place to grow as an athlete because of discrimination and the challenges you face but most athletes that want to take their career to the next level and they migrate because it’s just better for them,” shared the athlete. (The Loop Caribbean) Noel in March 2023 at the NJISA Meet of Champions made a name for himself by getting third place in the state of New Jersey in both of his events he competed in. Noel shared ¨although the 2024 Olympics for him will only be an experience of a lifetime. He was high expectations for himself in the 2028 Olympics¨ held in Los Angeles, California where he hopes of representing the United States Of America.
He shared that the experiences of discrimination really affected him as he was and still is a child. “It is really difficult for a child to be overlooked because of their talent just because you know someone that wants to be there too. Children should not be used like that. It affects the child in the long run. Luckily, I had parents who stood up for me and stood up for our rights.”(The Loop Caribbean) On February 14th, 2023 Noel announced his verbal commitment to Indiana University-Bloomington to continue his academic and athletic careers. He will begin there in the fall of 2024. According to the Loop Caribbean Noel is set to be among the greatest swimmers of all time in Guyana. Noel would be named one of the greatest icons in the sport of swimming in Guyana.
References[edit]
Guyanese Kaietuer, Stabroek News, Worldwide News, Caribbean News. The Loop Caribbean[1)
