Golden double with Pistorius’ help
Liam Malone has been busy breaking Oscar Pistorius’ records and the Kiwi blade- runner has now revealed he sought the South African’s advice in preparation for the Paralympics.
Malone yesterday won a second gold and set a second world mark in Rio, winning the men’s 400m T44 to complete a hat- trick of sprinting medals at his maiden Paralympics.
Having claimed gold in the 200m earlier in the week to sit alongside his silver in the 100m, the 22- year- old matched the three- medal haul Pistorius won four years ago in London.
And while the convicted murderer ended his athletics career in disgrace, Malone admitted to receiving guidance from Pistorius before the Games.
“He contacted with me and I talked to his coach via email searching for advice,” Malone told Channel 4 in the UK. “All we talked about was training, and not his circumstances. It was purely business.”
Pistorius was in July sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for the 2013 murder of partner Reeva Steenkamp, curtailing the career of a Paralympian who won six gold medals across three Games. And now, having wiped a pair of Pistorius’ records from the history books, Malone was looking to add to his own medal haul in future years.
“I’m just looking forward to going to celebrate with my friends and plan what i s next,” he said. “It’s been a long road — three years is a long time to train six days a week, two times a day This was not a fun journey — it was a tough journey. It took a whole lot of guts and heart to get here and I have such feelings of relief, but also gratitude to all those that have invested and believed in me.
“I flew the Brazilian flag today because it is like when you go to someone’s house, you say thank you for having me. That is what that was — to say thank you to the Brazilian people.”
Elsewhere in Rio, long jump gold medallist Anna Grimaldi was unable to replicate that success in her second discipline, being disqualified from the women’s 200m T47 after a lane infringement in her heat.
Grimaldi had initially finished in third place but, after a video examination, the decision was not challenged by Paralympics New Zealand.
Another Kiwi gold medallist, Mary Fisher, was also back in action, finishing fourth in the final of the women's 100m freestyle S11, unable to replicate her backstroke success.
“I just gave it everything I possibly could and to get just fourth is a little bit disappointing, but I’m so happy with how I swam the race,” Fisher said. “I went out as hard as I could and just gave it everything I had in the tank possible.”