Mitch Valize
Handbiker
Footballer. Volleyball Player. Handbiker. Gold Medalist. Amputee. Optimist.
When Mitch was eighteen, he opted to have his left foot amputated. Mitch was born with an underdeveloped foot and with his left leg shorter than his right. Never finding quite the right prosthetic solution to accommodate his foot, amputation was his best option.
“I was almost always in pain and the prosthesis has never been comfortable, because of that little left foot. Having the surgery to amputate my foot was the best choice of my life!”
Making that decision was a turning point in Mitch’s life.
Gone were the days of pain, discomfort, and feeling held back. Now that Mitch had been fitted with a Pro-Flex XC Torsion, he was able to test his strengths and abilities and discover just how much he could achieve.
Always a keen sportsman and an avid football and volleyball player, Mitch was determined to get back to sport. After a period of rehabilitation, he took up hand biking, which proved to be a great move. His training efforts at Papendal, the Dutch sports centre for Olympic and Paralympic sports paid off and he qualified for the Paralympics 2020 in Tokyo in H5 hand biking. Not content with the two Golds he took home from Tokyo in the Road Race and Individual Time Trial, he has gone on to take several European and World records. Then took Gold again at Paris 2024 in the Time Trial and Road Race.
Every win drives Mitch to go for another win. He has eyes on the Paralympics in Los Angeles in 2028 and will no doubt pick up a few World Championships along his paralympic journey.
“What a fantastic foot is this! I’m all positive. It is so much easier to walk on that ever before and how cool is it that it’s also waterproof! I have done loads of things with it; from walking in the forest to going to the sauna. You can do anything with it. I don’t want anything else anymore!”
Mitch Valize
Facts
Nationality
Netherlands
Competitive Class
H5
Main Events
Para Cycling Road