Malone changes for the better
Liam Malone often refers to his life changing three years ago, not when he won three medals, two of them gold, at the Paralympics Games in September.
Last year he achieved a lot much more than he would have ever dreamed of when even running on prosthetic blades was a pipe dream.
There were of course the gold medals in the T44 200m and 400m in Rio de Janeiro, and the just as impressive silver medal in his less favoured 100m event.
But the victory lap still hasn’t stopped, named Sportsperson of the Year at the Nelson Sports Awards and selected as a finalist for Disabled Athlete of the Year at the Halberg Awards.
Now on the first day of 2017, he’s been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
‘‘I don’t have a whole lot to say on it but it’s an honour to recognised for my hard work, and that’s really it,’’ said Malone, recognised for his services to athletics.
The New Years Honour caps off a dream year for the double amputee, who was born with fibular hemimelia in both legs.
‘‘The world hasn’t had such a good 2016 but I have and I’m just hoping to carry that through in 2017 with the world championships.’’
But although 2016 will forever be remembered as the year Malone took on the world and won, he said it wasn’t as life-changing as many expect.
In fact, the most significant turning point occurred three years ago. He was battling depression following the death of his mother and he was struggling academically. He decided he needed a goal, something to chase, to get him out of that rut.
That’s where the desire to run at the Paralympics began.
There was a major hurdle in the way, though. Malone needed $20,000 to purchase a set of prosthetic blades before he could even discover whether he would be fast enough to continue the sport, let alone compete on the international stage.
But it turns out, Malone had the ability, and through hours of training, generous public donations, and advances in technology and innovation, he not only reached the Paralympics, but he conquered them too.
‘‘My life changed the day I started setting goals and worked towards them. All of those goals paid off this year.’’
Looking ahead to the next fouryear cycle, Malone will not be out to chase medals in Tokyo, although that will be a byproduct if he achieves his real target. He said his plan is to beat the 400m world record time of 43.03sec, currently held by South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk.
Although Malone will not officially hold the record should he break it, he said becoming the fastest human on the planet is the ‘‘only thing’’ that excites him about athletics after Rio.
‘‘Otherwise after Rio I would have pursued something else and called it a day with athletics, so hopefully I can make that happen because it’s what is keeping me interested in the sport.
‘‘I don’t like the idea of running around in circles for another four years.’’
He plans to give up the sport post-2020.