PARIS, France — Fishers sprinter Noah Malone is leaving the Paris Paralympics with a full set of medals: one gold, one silver, one bronze.
Malone was on the U.S. team that finished third Friday night in the 4x100-meter universal relay at Stade de France. The relay features two men and two women from different classifications. Instead of a baton, athletes tag the next athlete within the exchange zone.
The bronze medal goes along with Malone’s gold in the 100 meters in the T12 classification for the visually impaired and a silver in the 400 meters.
China won the relay gold medal in 45.07 seconds, breaking the world record of 45.09 it set in the heats. Previous record was 45.52 by a U.S. team that included Malone at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics.
Great Britain took silver in 46.01. The Americans’ time was 47.32.
Malone led off, followed by Hunter Woodhall, Taylor Swanson and Tatyana McFadden.
“We’re competitors, so we always want gold,” Malone said. “When we step on the track, bronze is never what we expect. We expect gold, but this is track and field. You never know until the race is over. So you live and learn. But a bronze is still a win.”
Earlier in the night, Woodhall, who races on blades, won a gold medal in the 400 meters in the T62 classification in 46.36. He matched the gold won by his wife, long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall, at the Olympic Games.
McFadden, 35, won her 21st medal to become the most decorated Paralympian in U.S. track and field history.
“But the job’s not finished for me yet. I have my eyes set on L.A.,” she said, referring to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Malone, 22, a former sprinter at Hamilton Southeastern High School and Indiana State, increased his career total to six medals. He won three at Tokyo, too. While at HSE, he won a state title in the 200 meters in 2019.
“It’s been an experience, a long one,” Malone said. “I tried to soak it in as much as I could in the final, as well as giving everything to this team.
“But when I walked off the track I thought, 'I am ready for a vacation at this point.' My body is breaking down.
“But it was a good year and great to set us up for L.A. 2028.”
Serkan Yildrim of Turkey edged Malone by .01 in Saturday’s 100 meters. A judge granted Yildrim an injunction to compete in the race, despite the World Para Athletics’ ruling that he was ineligible to participate in the classification. The Turkish sprinter was subsequently disqualified, elevating Malone to his first individual gold medal.
Contact WTHR correspondent at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
