No human being has ever run faster than Usain Bolt over 100 or 200 metres. But there is one man aiming to change all that. 23-year-old New Zealander, Liam Malone is certainly not lacking in confidence. Speaking in an interview with BBC Radio 5 live, Malone said:
"In the next three years, I'll run faster than Usain Bolt over 100m."
His high level of arrogance is certainly matched by his talent however, he scooped two golds and a silver medal in his debut Paralympics in Rio last year and is quickly improving. Malone won the 400m and the 200m but was defeated by Britain’s Jonnie Peacock in the main event, the 100m, where he ran 11.02 seconds. That certainly didn’t put the Kiwi off who is convinced he will set new standards and change the way Para-athletes are viewed.
He continued: "It won't be done in the Paralympics, and I've no intention of ever racing Usain Bolt or able-bodied people, it's about racing against their time outside of the rules and regulations that limit technology. That's what I'm focused on at the moment.
"If you were me and you were bullied as a kid from five to 15, and you had this opportunity to use technology to do something that hasn't been done before, you'd absolutely want to do it and that's what I'm doing."
The double below-knee amputee lost his legs at just 18-months-old, having been born without a fibula bone in both legs. Malone has turned what many would see as a disadvantage into a huge opportunity and alongside hard work and dedication, he explained how he would be able to run so quickly:
"The point is that artificial bodies improve at a faster rate than the biological body. Until about nine years old, my legs were basically like a pirate's from the 16th century - wood, rubber, really basic. It's only in the last five to 10 years I've had these new forms of technology come through.
"If blades are allowing blade runners to run as fast as able-bodied human beings at this point, what's it going to look like in 20 years? It's not just in Paralympic sport. Artificial bodies is one of the biggest trends in the world - from dying your hair to using contact lenses to hearing aids to breast implants and fake teeth. It really is the future.”
Malone is planning on developing his own ‘super blades’ with a major technology company to allow him to shred seconds off his personal best. He is currently missing the World Para-athletics Championships in London due to injury but has been doing some TV work and entertaining the crowd inside the Olympic Stadium.
He finished by saying: "Human beings love customising things and the human body is the pinnacle of something you can customise." One thing is for sure, Athletics is desperate for more characters like Malone and if any Para-Athlete can beat Bolt’s time, it is this aspirational and inspirational Kiwi.
