By CHARLIE CLIFFORD
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Up close, nothing bothers Noah Malone.
The former IHSAA 200-meter state champion at Hamilton Southeastern (HSE) High School currently runs at Indiana State, a huge get for the Sycamores, who lured one of the Indianapolis area’s prime sprinters to Terre Haute despite interest from multiple Big Ten programs. Each time Malone takes his mark, a minor miracle resurfaces.
“I can see well enough the lines and everything on track; I can see well enough to be mobile,” Malone said. “The closer they get, the more I can see, but like other than that, everything is kind of blurry, so.”
Six years ago, Malone’s doctors discovered the then-junior high student had Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, an inherited form of vision loss that often results in rapid and permanent loss of vision in both eyes.
“A couple of days after noticing it, my doctor said over the next year it is going to get a lot worse,” Malone said. “That is really scary for a 13-year-old kid … I was very into track and field then, and once my vision got worse, I wasn’t really sure if I was going to be able to compete at a high level. I had goals to become a high school state champion and to go to college for track and field, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to accomplish any of that.”
Malone kept running and winning.
Earlier this month in Minneapolis, Malone made the U.S. Paralympic track and field roster heading for Tokyo in August in stellar fashion.
His official ticket to Tokyo was punched in the 100-meter dash, with a time of 10.74.
The current top Paralympic T-12 time in the world in the 100-meters? Malone’s previous time of 10.66 clocked before the U.S. Qualifications.
Later in Minneapolis, Malone’s qualifying attempt 400-meter dash, the first 400 of his competitive career, was clocked at 49.38 seconds. That time is the fastest by a T-12 visually impaired athlete in American history.
“I was blown away because I didn’t know what the American record was beforehand,” Malone said. “Right now, I am ranked in the top three in the world in three different events. I am hoping to capitalize on that in Tokyo … My goals are to medal, gold medals for those events.”
Just as HSE High School paved the way toward Malone’s athletic stardom, countless hours inside the classrooms of the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired gave him a chance to live the life he wanted.
Ahead of his senior year of high school, Malone spent most of his academic time at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, relearning everyday activities following his diagnosis.
Regardless of what happens on the track in Tokyo this August, a new role model is ready to be a bright light on the world’s grandest athletic stage.
“I think it is, I think it is for visually impaired people to be inspired and show that there is a way you can portray your talents,” Malone said. “I just want to make all my friends, teachers, coaches and family proud in Tokyo. They all have helped me so much along this journey.”
Even when a fantastic gift is taken away, some people find a way to guide us where we need to go.