Double Paralympic champion Liam Malone upbeat after retirement from athletics

  • 10/01/2018

Retired Paralympian Liam Malone has revealed his decision to hang up the blades is not one that will haunt him in the future.

On Tuesday, the two-time gold medallist announced he would be retiring as a competitive athlete to pursuit ventures outside the sport.

The 24-year-old admits disappointment that he will no longer be defending his titles as intended, but is philosophical about how it's worked out for him.

"That's life," Malone told Newshub. "That's life, man.

"Yeah, it's tough, but I've had much tougher challenges in my life. My mum died when I was 18, that's proper tough.

"My dad's got cancer now. I see people on a daily basis facing much tougher challenges than having some sort of rule change affect how fast they can run.

"Most athletes either end on a really big high or... those who end up resentful are athletes that should've ended it much longer ago, and they just go on losing and losing and losing.

"I don't feel too much. It's not the way that I would've wanted to end my running, but that's the way it goes."

Malone won the 200m and 400m at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Malone won the 200m and 400m at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Photo credit: Getty

The International Paralympic Committee has cracked down on how much paralympic athletes can alter their artificial limbs in an effort to ensure a level-playing field.

And while Malone is frustrated with the regulations, which he cited as a deciding factor in his decision to retire, he does sympathise with the governing body.

"Much harder in the Paralympics than the Olympics," he said. "It's much easier to regulate a sole on a shoe than regulate an artificial body part.

"Especially when technology from so many different industries is now converging into the medical industry and into prosthetics, for example."

Newshub.