David Malone
Sport
Country Ireland
SportParalympic swimming
DisabilityArthrogryposis
Disability classS9
Medal record
Paralympic swimming
Representing  Ireland
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place2000 Sydney100m backstroke S8
Silver medal – second place1996 Atlanta100m backstroke S9
Silver medal – second place2004 Athens100m backstroke S8
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1998 Christchurch100m backstroke S8
Bronze medal – third place1994 Malta100m backstroke S9
Bronze medal – third place2002 Mar del Plata100m backstroke S8

David Malone (born in Dublin) is known as a bi-lateral amputee swimmer and Paralympic medalist. He participated in four consecutive Paralympic Games, starting with the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. He won gold at the 2000 Summer Paralympics and held the world record for 100-metre backstroke for ten years. He retired from competition in 2008. He currently is the performance director for Paralympics Ireland.

Early life

Malone is from Dublin.[1] He was born with arthrogryposis. His right leg was amputated below the knee when he was seven years old and his left leg amputated above the ankle the next year. He played football and cycled when he was young. He began swimming in the local pool and felt self-conscious about placing his artificial legs next to the pool prior to swimming. He realised the other swimmers were supportive and he began to swim competitively. He competed in a multi-sports competition when he was 15 and won five of the six events he entered.[2]

Career

Malone competed at the 1994 IPC Swimming World Championships in Malta. He won a bronze medal in the S9 100-metre backstroke, and also competed in the S9 100-metre freestyle and the SM9 200-metre individual medley.[3]

1996 Paralympics

Malone participated in four consecutive Paralympic Games, starting with the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. He competed in the S9 100-metre backstroke and won a silver medal.[3] Malone won a gold medal in the 1997 and 1999 European Championships. He won a gold medal in the S8 100-metre backstroke at the 1998 IPC Swimming World Championships in Christchurch.[2][3] He set the S8 100-metre backstroke world record in 1998 with a time of 1:09.28,[4] which stood for ten years.[5]

2000 Paralympics

In his second Paralympics in Sydney he competed in the S8 50-metre backstroke, the SM8 200-metre medley, and the S8 100-metre backstroke.[3] In the S8 100-metre backstroke he finished in a dead heat with Holger Kimmig with a time of 1:09.90.[6] They were both awarded a gold medal.[2] After the Games, he trained less and focused on other aspects of his life.[2] The same year he won gold medals at the World Championships and the European Championships.[5] In 2001 he won a silver medal at the European Championships, finishing behind Kimmig.[2] He competed at the 2002 IPC Swimming World Championships and won a bronze medal in the S8 100-metre backstroke.[3]

2004 Paralympics

He competed in the S8 100-metre backstroke at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. He earned his second silver medal with a time of 1:12.55, finishing two seconds behind US Paralympian Travis Mohr.[4]

2008 Paralympics

Malone swam the 100-metre backstroke at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing (S8 classification). He finished fifth in his heat and tenth overall, with a time of 1:16.80. Although it was his best time of the season, he did not qualify for the final heat.[7][2] He retired from competitive swimming after the conclusion of the Games.[5]

Post-swimming career

Malone worked for Ireland's Paralympic team following his competitive swimming career. In July 2009, he started as Ireland's head of Paralympic swimming.[8] He became the performance director for Paralympics Ireland in 2015. Malone later became the operational lead of their sport department.[9]

In 2013, Malone was inducted into the Swim Ireland Hall of Fame. He was the first person to be inducted into the Irish Paralympic Sports Hall of Fame.[2] Swim Ireland awarded him as Performance Coach of the Year in Para and Diving in 2019.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Paralympics: Malone leads expectations for Beijing gold rush". The Irish Independent. 6 September 2008. Archived from the original on 31 December 2008. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Shannon, Kieran (14 December 2013). "Swimming against the tide". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "David Malone". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  4. 1 2 Williams, Andre D. (23 September 2004). "Mohr Takes Gold in Athens". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. p. C1. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 Gallagher, Paul (10 September 2008). "Malone bows out at the top". The Irish Times. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  6. ↑ Cowley, Michael (28 October 2000). "Paton's Tilt for Pool Crown Under Threat". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Paralympics Curtain Comes Down on Glittering Career for Irish Swimmer Dave Malone at Paralympic Games". 10 September 2008. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  8. ↑ "The Sports Arena". The Sports Arena. Archived from the original on 8 May 2012.
  9. ↑ "Our Staff". Paralympics Ireland. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  10. ↑ Race, Retta (29 September 2019). "Brendan Hyland Among Swim Ireland Award Winners". Swim Swam. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
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