Noah Malone joined Justin Gatlin and Rodney Green on the newest episode of the Ready Set Go podcast. The American paralympic athlete recounted many of his career highlights, including one from the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics when Team USA smashed the universal 4×100-meter relay world record.
Malone aims to secure an individual gold medal at the upcoming Paralympic Games. However, he reflected on his experience at the 2021 Tokyo event ahead of the current season in Paris.
The universal relays at the Paralympic Games are one of the most anticipated events since they include diverse participants. A visually impaired athlete leads the relay, which an amputee sprinter carries on.
In third place is a person with cerebral palsy and a wheelchair athlete to anchor the race. No baton is used in these events, and the relay is handed over by touch.
The 2021 season saw Team China break the world record in heat 1 with a time of 46.02. Team USA advanced for the finals with a timing of 46.72 in heat 2, but their race was not as exciting as the Chinese parathletes, as Malone mentioned.
The American parathlete had normal expectations going into the finals but was surprised by the unexpected outcome. “I don’t know what was in the air, but it was magic.”
The way Malone narrated the turn of events made Green curious. The American parathlete stated that it was a close race, with Team USA finishing first in 45.52 seconds, followed by Team China in second, who were later disqualified for failing to comply with WPA 7.10.4.
View this post on Instagram
Malone credited the accomplishment to all of their hard work, saying:
“I knew we had the talent to get it done. We knew we have the talent to get it done. Just had to, just be on the same page and get it done. But yeah, no, that team, myself, Brittni, Nick, Tatyana—that was, we definitely did something special that day.”
This was Team USA’s first gold medal in the 4×100-meter universal relay at a Paralympic final. The gleaming gold was also accompanied by a world record of 45.52, set by Noah Malone (T12), Brittni Mason (T46), Nick Mayhugh (T37), and Tatyana McFadden (T54).
While Malone already owns a Paralympic gold medal, he aspires to win an individual gold in the upcoming Paris Paralympics, which will begin on August 28, 2024.
