Liam Malone’s journey to qualify for Rio has benefited from some very supportive Kiwis.
And his big moment inside the Olympic stadium won’t be any different, with around eight of his old school friends from Birchwood Primary School set to make the journey to Brazil to watch him compete in the Paralympics. Liam started his journey to Rio shortly after losing his mother to cancer. The double amputee says he was spending his days “on the piss and smoking too much weed”.
It was a depression triggered by his mother’s death, but Liam says he knew to get out of it, he had to set himself a goal that would influence his day-to-day life.
“I thought of setting up a business or climbing Mt Cook, but the Paralympics was something that, in short period of time, I could achieve a huge amount of personal growth, and day-to-day it would affect me because I would have to be healthy and be training. And it’s challenging, it had to be challenging.”
The first thing Liam needed was a pair of “blades” which Paralympians run on. He launched a campaign to raise the $20,000 needed. New Zealanders donated $50,000. Liam says that was a “defining moment”.
“If that didn’t happen I don’t know how viable it would have been. It was so humbling, in fact I shed a few tears the night that it ended, it was really generous.”
That generosity has also kept Liam focussed, not wanting to let them down.
Three years on Liam has fulfilled the first part of his goal and has qualified for the Rio Games. Until last week he was ranked number one in the world for the 400 metres with a time of 48.28, but an American runner beat his time late last month.
The world record is 45.07, held by Oscar Pistorius.
Nevertheless, Liam will head to Rio with a realistic chance of Gold. It’s the only colour medal he is gunning for.
“I’d be disappointed with anything other than gold, but in saying that it will be really hard. I want to aim for the top though, nothing less.”
Liam is squeezing in training amongst his university studies and is “excited” for the games.
And while Liam is standing on the running track at the Paralympics, his mates will be in the stands.
Around eight of his friends, most dating back to their time together at Birchwood Primary School in Stoke, have booked tickets to the games. Liam says it will be great having them on board.
“I’ll be really focused before I compete but after that I wanted to have a bit of a boys trip with them. But the policy is for all athletes to come back to New Zealand together, probably so we can’t get into trouble,” he joked.
Also in the stands will be his father Murray. And back home in Nelson Liam will have thousands of locals who donated towards his blades cheering him on.
“That’s the thing really, I just want to say thank you to everyone who helped me out. Everyone who donated back then and has been supportive since. It’s been awesome.”
Liam will compete in the 100metre, 200 metre and 400 metre events at the Paralympics, which are being held in Rio de Janeiro from September 7 to 18.
