Embracing The ‘Boring’ Parts Of Track And Field Has Led To Success For Noah Malone

Ask Noah Malone about winning the 100-meter at the recent Los Angeles Grand Prix and he gives you a matter-of-fact answer. Ask about his first individual Paralympic gold medal and you get something similar.

The 100 is the premier race in track and field, and success in event sometimes leads to egos and brashness.

But Malone, a six-time Paralympic medalist and two-time gold medalist, comports himself differently. The 24-year-old credits the work he puts in and how prepared he feels when he sets himself in the blocks.

“That really just comes from how I was raised and also just like anybody can be beat on any day,” Malone said. “Track and field, there’s no unbeaten athletes, so you kind of just have to hold yourself to a standard where you know you can be getting beat any day. The most you could do, through all the control you have, is just going out there and give it your best in terms of execution and trust your coach, trust your training and hope for the best, really.”

That upbringing came as he was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, then grew up in Fishers, Indiana. Now, Malone lives and trains in San Diego. 

He made the trip up Interstate 5 for the Los Angeles Grand Prix in mid-June. There, he won the men’s Para 100 — which featured athletes from multiple classifications — in 10.40 seconds, just ahead of Abuchi Osuala (10.69), Jaydin Blackwell (10.73) and Hunter Woodhall (10.81).

“It was an amazing experience. It was a pretty big competition because a lot of my peers — Jaydin, Hunter, then you had Abuchi, who is a rising star in the Para world ... to come out with a victory in that type of field is definitely pretty good,” Malone said. “Not only that, but just to run one of the fastest times I’ve ran in quite a while is pretty cool as well.”

Malone followed up that performance with a first-place finish in the prestigious Prefontaine Classic on July 4 in Eugene, Oregon. Like the LA Grand Prix, the Pre Classic featured Para and able-bodied athletes competing at the same meet, something USA Track & Field has been doing more of recently. 

Malone competes in the T12 classification after developing Leber hereditary optic neuropathy when he was 13. Malone said Leber’s affects his central vision, leaving him with blurred vision, but doesn’t really impact his track performance.

Malone credits his preparation for the success he’s had so far this season.

“I really would say it’s just training,” Malone said. “It’s really just preparation for the moment and really staying present. We knew it was a big deal, but it wasn’t the endpoint, it was never the climax of the season, but I still wanted to be sharp and just have a good product of myself and my training on the track because it was still a big deal. Any USATF meet where you’re competing against some of the best competition out there is always a big deal.”

Competing at the same meet with able-bodied athletes is progress for Para athletes, but it also doesn’t affect how Malone prepares for his events on race day.

“I know a lot of those (able-bodied athletes) are really big stars, but you can’t be starstruck,” he said. “It’s great in terms of inclusion and everything, now that we’re kind of getting the same platform as all these other athletes. When it comes to different Diamond League competitions or the USATF Grand Prix, it’s good to be included on the same platform. I just think it’s come a long way, Still some room to do (more), but it’s definitely come a long way.”

Consistency is the hallmark of what Malone tries to do. Day in, day out, meet to meet, regardless of the importance, Malone tries to treat every race the exact same. He described the sport as “mundane and boring,” but he embraces the monotony of training, knowing that’s the only way to improve. 

The Paralympic Games Los Angeles 2028 are preeminent in Malone’s mind. Officially, Malone won the gold medal in the men’s 100 T12 at the Games in Paris two years ago. But he finished second to Turkey’s Serkan Yildirim, who was later disqualified over eligibility issues, boosting Malone from silver to gold. Malone also won gold in the 4x100 universal relay at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. 

Winning the gold outright is his dream, but just competing on U.S. soil for a Paralympic Games is something Malone is excited for.

“It’s going to be amazing,” Malone said. “I really can’t wrap my head around it because it’s still two years out and there’s so many things in between that I’ve got to take care of, but the ultimate goal is obviously LA and it’s going to be crazy — because Paris was crazy, Tokyo was even crazy with no fans, but to compete two hours north from where I’m training right now, family and friends, everybody’s going to be there. It’s going to be crazy. The fans are going to be cheering as loud as possible, so it’s going to be a very proud moment to be representing Team USA.”

Steve Drumwright is a journalist based in Murrieta, California. He is a freelance contributor to usatf.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.