American Gold Sports Alliance

Track and Field

Noelle Malkamaki Shatters World Record at Paralympic Games in Paris

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By: Jo Marquez | Hoodline

It was a golden toss for DePaul graduate Noelle Malkamaki at the Paralympic Games in Paris. The shot put ace launched a 14.06-meter throw, setting a new world record in the Women’s F46 category, as reported by CBS News Chicago. This isn’t Malkamaki’s first spin around the victory track; she previously snagged top honors at the U.S. Paralympic trials earlier this summer, where she also set a then-world record.

Breaking barriers and records with the same throw, Malkamaki’s story extends beyond the field, paralleling her own journey with identity. A high school athlete from Decatur, Illinois, her confidence had to wrestle with doubt before setting foot on the larger Paralympic stage. As she told NCAA.org, “I’ve competed against able-bodied athletes my entire life; I didn’t come across adaptive sports until a couple years ago.” Malkamaki’s congenital condition left her uncertain if she was “disabled enough” to stand alongside other parasport athletes. It marks a telling insight into the intersecting complex layers of identity and competition.

The two-time Para Athletics world champion didn’t settle merely for accolades but used athletics as a means for self-actualization. Aided by therapy and a sports psychologist, Malkamaki came to terms with her dual athletic identity. “It doesn’t matter what anyone else is throwing at college or a para meet because if I’m just always trying to throw as far as possible, the challenge is the same either way,” NCAA.org captures her poised perspective.

Malkamaki’s throw also places her firmly within a tradition of excellence nurtured by DePaul. The support extending from her alma mater played its part in honing her craft, which is evident in the educational institution funding her coach’s travel for competitions; a form of backing rarely offered, except from universities notably engaged with their adaptive athletes. Reminiscing with NCAA.org, Malkamaki shed light on her coach’s view that saw her as an elite athlete first and foremost, “regardless of, you know, nothing taking into account.”

As the U.S. tallies 24 gold, 22 silver, and 11 bronze Paralympic medals to its name, Noelle Malkamaki remains a standout with her gold and world-breaking performance. Yet, her most significant triumph might come in the shape of empowerment she lends to others tackling similar identity complexities.

Mondo Duplantis soars to Paris 2024 pole vault gold and breaks own world record 

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By Sean McAlister

Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis has done it again.

The Swedish pole vaulter flew over the bar at a new world record height of 6.25m, having already secured Paris 2024 gold earlier in the evening on Monday, 5 August with a vault of 6.00m.

This is the ninth time Duplantis has broken the world record, beating the mark of 6.24m he set in the Xiamen Diamond League in April this year.

“I haven’t processed how fantastic that moment was,” he said after his historic jump. “It’s one of those things that don’t really feel real, such an out-of-body experience. It’s still hard to kind of land right now.

“What can I say? I just broke a world record at the Olympics, the biggest possible stage for a pole vaulter. [My] biggest dream since a kid was to break the world record at the Olympics, and I’ve been able to do that in front of the most ridiculous crowd I’ve ever competed in front of.”

The crowd he spoke of in the Stade de France has become used to breathtaking moments at these Olympics, but few can compare to this mammoth effort from Duplantis.

As chants of “Mondo, Mondo, Mondo” rang around the stadium, Duplantis did what he does best, first breaking the Olympic record with a jump of 6.10m and then raising the bar higher to 6.25m.

As he flew over the bar, he was met with roars from across the masses of people inside the Stade de France who had witnessed the greatest jump — and jumper — in history.

“I tried to clear my thoughts as much as I could,” he said of the momentous reception he received from the stands. “The crowd was going crazy. It was so loud in there, it sounded like an American football game. I have a little bit of experience being in a 100,000-capacity stadium, but I was never the centre of attention. [I was] just trying to channel the energy everybody was giving me, and they were giving me a lot of it. It worked out.”

With the screams of joy from the crowd only matched by Duplantis’ own, the 24-year-old jumped from the mat and straight into the arms of his loved ones.

On a night filled with unforgettable moments, this is one that will be talked about for years to come.

His gold medal in Paris continues his incredible streak at major international outdoor championships, which has seen him win gold at the past three worlds and — after Monday — the last two Olympic Games.

Sam Kendricks of the USA won silver with a jump of 5.95m and Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis took bronze (5.90m).

Faith Kipyegon breaks her own world record in 1,500 meters

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PARIS (AP) — Faith Kipyegon of Kenya broke her own world record in the women’s 1,500 meters at the Diamond League track and field meeting in Paris on Sunday.

Kipyegon finished in 3:49.04, surpassing her record of 3:49.11, which was set in Italy last year.

“I knew the world record was possible because I recently ran very fast in Kenya,” said Kipyegon, who clocked 3:53.98 at Kenya’s Olympic Trials. “I was coming here to just run my race and to see what shape I’m in to defend my title at the Olympics.”

Nine other runners in the race achieved personal bests. Jessica Hull of Australia finished second in 3:50.83, smashing her own Oceania record by five seconds. Laura Muir was third in a British record of 3:53.79.

The 30-year-old Kipyegon is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 1,500, having won in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2021. Before Sunday, she had only run twice in 2024, in the 1,500 and 5,000, to secure her spot for the Paris Olympics at the Kenyan trials in June.

Kipyegon’s performance came less than an hour after Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh broke the world high jump record with a leap of 2.10 meters.

Malkamaki Wins Back-to-Back World Titles

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By: DuPaul Athletics

The Blue Demon brings home her second gold

KOBE – DePaul Track and Field’s Noelle Malkamaki won her second consecutive gold at the 2024 Para Athletics World Championships, early Thursday morning. The Blue Demon successfully defended her World title after achieving a final mark of 13.12m. 

This is a back-to-back win for the Blue Demon, after she dominated her first World title last year, claiming gold in the women’s F46 shot put at her world championship debut last year. Malkamaki broke the world record three times during the event, before her final throw of 13.32m. 

In March, Malkamaki competed for a Team USA roster spot at the 2024 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships in Walnut, Calif., dominating the women’s F46 shot put and taking home a national title with a final mark of 13.21m. 

UP NEXT: Following the World Championships, Malkamaki will turn her attention to the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials, July 18-20 in Miramar, Fla. with the hopes of earning a berth on Team USA at the Paralympic Games.

Noelle Lambert Is Setting Records Less Than Three Months Into Her Long-Jumping Career

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by Steve Drumwright | US Para TF

Noelle Lambert was already a world-class Para sprinter when she got the idea to try something new.

Before the start of the 2024 track season, Lambert decided to train as a long jumper. If all went well, she reasoned, maybe she could make her second Paralympics this summer as both a sprinter and a jumper.

So far, that’s looking good

When she participated in the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships in March, Lambert had only been training for the long jump for less than three months.

The 27-year-old from Manchester, New Hampshire, set an Americas record in the event’s T63 class with a jump of 4.75 meters — breaking the previous record by 0.65 meters.

Now imagine what she can do with a little more practice in a Paralympic year.

“I have a great coach, coach Kris Mack, out here in California,” Lambert said during nationals. “I knew if I was going to start long jumping, I needed to go to him because he’s the best. It’s been incredible to see my progress.”

Lambert went on to call coach Mack a “genius” for the way he’s been able to adapt her to the new event so quickly.

Lambert’s record-breaking jump would have been good enough for fourth place at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, just 0.27 meters away from the podium.

She is seeking a return to the Paralympics after finishing sixth in the 100-meter T63 in Tokyo. At nationals, Lindi Marcusen edged out Lambert in the 100 by three-hundredths of a second. While that would be a tough loss for some, the race pumped up Lambert.

“It was just really exciting to kind of get the competition aspect with her,” said Lambert, who still clocked a personal-best time of 15.25 seconds. “I PR’d and came home with silver. So that’s a good day in the office and I was separated by .03. That just makes it more exciting. It’s showing that the T63 women are growing and we’re ready for the competition.”

Lambert has embraced competition all her life. She grew up with three older brothers and wanted to beat them in everything.

“From a very early age, I was always competing with them, showing them who the boss in the family was, who the best athlete in the family was,” Lambert said. “I think I’ve taken that belt.”

That competitive drive helped her adapt after losing her left leg in a moped accident in 2016.

“I never went a day in my life without being active in some sort of way,” she said. “I’m the type of person that if I hit a roadblock, I typically just want to run right through it and to prove to people that it won’t slow me down and that you can do anything you put your mind to.”

Lambert didn’t get back into her active lifestyle alone, though. Before her amputation, she played lacrosse at  UMass Lowell. While Lambert was convinced her lacrosse career was over, she said her teammates and coaches were determined to get her back on the field.

Less than two years after losing her leg, Lambert became the first above-the-knee amputee to ever play Division I college lacrosse.

“I credit that solely to my teammates and coaches,” Lambert said. “Because if it was up to me, I would have quit day one. It just shows how special a whole community can be.”

Lambert has continued to make more history since then. In 2022, she was a contestant in season 43 of Survivor, making her the first above-the-knee amputee to appear on the show.

Lambert will continue her long jump training with her eyes set on the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials – Track & Field set for July 18-20 in Miramar, Florida, where she hopes to secure a spot in another Paralympics.

While Lambert had quick success in the long jump at nationals, Mack reminded her that she’s still very early into what could be a long journey.

“I wanted to jump 4.80, 4.90, and (Mack) was just like, ‘You’re still learning. You’re still very early (in this process),’” she said. “I’m a very impatient person. I want things done now, but you know, I’m trusting the process and really enjoying it as well.”

SPRINTS SHINE AT WINDY USATF BERMUDA GRAND PRIX

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DEVONSHIRE, Bermuda — Back for its third year, a windy afternoon at the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix produced some quick early-season times in the sprints, highlighted by Tamari Davis’ and Noah Lyles’ wins in the 100s.
 
Defending the crown she won last year, Tamari Davis cruised to an easy 11.04w (+2.2) in the Xfinity Women’s 100, winning by almost a quarter-second over Kortnei Johnson, who was the runner-up in 11.27w.
 
Six-time world champion Noah Lyles was looking for a win in the Xfinity Men’s 100 following his runner-up finish at Bermuda last year. With a +3.0 wind, Lyles clocked a 9.96 for a decisive win at Flora Duffy Stadium with impressive closing speed in the final 10 meters. Canada’s Aaron Brown was second with a 10.09w, with a trio of Americans right behind. Pjai Austin clocked a 10.10w for third, while Kendal Williams and JT Smith both notched 10.11w times. Williams got the nod with a 10.103 to Smith’s 10.105.
 
Despite clipping the seventh barrier and clattering the final hurdle, Amber Hughes was a convincing victor in the women’s 100H, clocking 12.57w with a healthy +3.7 wind. It was the fastest time of Hughes’ career, windy or not, and put her .23 in front of runner-up Ebony Morrison of Liberia.
 
Back from injury late in the 2023 season, Abby Steiner opened her season strong with a successfully defended USATF Bermuda Grand Prix 200 title with a 22.71w. Kynnedy Flannel clocked a 23.01w for second with Jamaica’s Ashanti Moore in third with a 23.12w.
 
A windy day produced some big marks in the women’s long jump for Monae’ Nichols. Her best jump came in the second round, but her 6.91w/22-8 proved untouchable for the rest of the competition. Jamaica’s Chanice Porter landed a 6.62w/21-8.75 in the third round, which stood through the competition for second. Jasmine Moore finished third with a 6.60w/21-8 in the third round while Tiffany Flynn was fourth with a 6.53w/21-5.25.
 
A surprise winner in 2023, Elijah Morrow again ran a very good turn and was a half-step ahead coming into the straight, but Matthew Boling and Trinidad’s Jereem Richards took over from there, with Richards gaining a slight advantage in the final meters to win in a very windy (+4.9) 20.39w over Boling’s 20.42w. Morrow ended up fourth in 20.62w.
 
Overcoming a substantial early lead by Cassandra Tate, Jamaica’s Shiann Salmon pulled away after the final barrier to win the women’s 400 hurdles in 56.59. Tate held on for second in 57.04. In the women’s 800, Britain’s Hannah Segrave eased by Sadi Henderson to win by .1 seconds in 2:06.00. Kendra Coleman was third in a season best 2:06.58.
 
Slowed by crashing through most of the ten barriers in the men’s 110 hurdles, Louis Rollins yielded the lead to Britain’s Josh Zeller over the final half of the race as Zeller came away with a wind-aided (+3.5) 13.35 to win. Rollins fought his way to the finish and placed second in 13.45w.
 
Riding the hefty breezes on the runway just in front of the stands, Jamaica’s Jaydon Hibbert, the NCAA indoor and outdoor champion for Arkansas last year, bounded out to 17.33w/56-10.25 on his first attempt to open his season with a win in the men’s triple jump. Nine-time U.S. champion Donald Scott went 16.72w/54-10.25 on his fifth try to place fourth.
 
Grenada’s Kirani James has won a passel of global medals in the men’s 400, including Olympic gold in 2012 as a teenager, and he showed great maturity in winning his specialty event in 45.96. Battling the strong headwind down the backstretch, James was able to summon reserve energy down the home straight and win by more than a second. Elija Godwin was in contention coming off the final bend but fell back to fourth in 47.38. In the women’s one-lapper, Jamaica’s Stacey-Ann Williams was never seriously challenged as she won in 51.71.
 
Victor Palumbo took the early lead in the men’s 1500 and led through three laps but couldn’t hold off a major kick by Canadian duo Rob Heppenstall and Max Davies. The pair made their move from the back of the pack to finish first and second in 3:53.07 and 3:53.96. Jaxson Hoey was close behind, finishing third in 3:54.86.
 
Stacey-Ann Williams of Jamaica took a decisive win in the women’s 400. Williams clocked a 51.71 – 1.29 seconds faster than her nearest competitor, Jessika Gbai of the Ivory Coast. Courtney Okolo was seventh in 54.77.

Angela Martin named MVC Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year

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Kieran Intemann | GoSycamores.com

ST. LOUIS – Indiana State Cross Country and Track and Field Program Director and Head Coach Angela Martin was selected as the 2024 MVC Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, as announced Monday by the conference office.
 
Martin, who led the Sycamores to a sweep of the 2024 MVC Indoor Championships, was selected by the league’s head coaches as the Coach of the Year on both the men’s and women’s side. It was Indiana State’s second indoor championship sweep in the last three years and marks the seventh MVC Championships, indoor or outdoor, won by the Indiana State program since 2022 (five men’s, two women’s).
 
Under Martin’s watch, Indiana State finished with an indoor program record 183.5 points on the men’s side on its way to a third consecutive MVC Indoor Championship. The Indiana State women finished with 121 points and won their second MVC Indoor Championship in the last three seasons.
 
As a team, Indiana State finished with seven individual conference champions and 19 additional all-conference honorees. The Sycamores finished the championships with 57 athletes in point-scoring positions, picking up points in nearly every event that they had a participant in.
 
For the season, Indiana State had 32 additions to its all-time top-10 list, with more than have of those additions being top-five program marks. The Sycamores went wire-to-wire atop the MVC ratings index on both the men’s and women’s side and were consistently among the highest-ranked teams in the Great Lakes region, reaching as high as No. 1 on the men’s side.
 
Indiana State also racked up multiple specialty awards, finishing with the MVC’s Most Outstanding Men’s Field Athlete and Women’s Field Athlete in Will Staggs and Niesha Anderson, respectively. Staggs, who was a Second Team All-American in 2024, also earned MVC Elite 17 honors, while Shomari Rogers-Walton was the MVC’s Most Valuable Athlete at the championships.
 
Monday’s announcement marks Martin’s seventh MVC Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year honors (four women’s, three men’s).

USA’s Elle St. Pierre Wins 3000m World Indoor Gold in Huge Upset Over Gudaf Tsegay

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By: LetsRun

The US had never won world indoor 3000 gold until tonight

GLASGOW, Scotland – Elle St. Pierre, world champion.

Those are not words many thought would ever come together, but they did on Saturday night as the American sprinted by heavy pre-race favorite Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia down the homestretch to win the 2024 World Indoor 3000m title in an American and championship record time of 8:20.87.

The time shattered the previous American record of 8:25.05 that Alicia Monson set last year and moved St. Pierre to #3 on the all-time world indoor list.

Tsegay, who ran 8:17.11 earlier this winter to just miss the 8:16.60 world record, got the silver in 8:21.13, as steeplechase wolrd record holder Beatrice Chepkoech got the bronze in a Kenyan record of 8:22.68. Jess Hull of Australia didn’t medal but she did take home an Australian record of 8:24.39 as a nice consolation price in fourth. Hometown hero Laura Muir surprisingly was never a factor in the medals and settled for 5th in a season’s best of 8:29.76.

The Race

The race started out extremely fast as Beatrice Chepkoech did her customary thing and took it out hard. Her first 400 split of 65.07 was faster than all but one of the opening 400m splits for the men’s 3000m finalists, which took place after this event. The pace then slowed a bit and at 1k (2:48.83), Gudaf Tsegay went to the lead to keep the pace honest. She increased the pace and would lead all the way until the closing meters.

Tsegay hit 1600 in 4:28 and eight women were still in the lead pack with Muir in 8th just hanging on at the back. With six laps remaining, the top 5 women – the eventual top four finishers plus defending champ Lemlem Hailu of Ethiopia – startedd to separate as Tsegay hit 2k in 5:35.78 (2:49.01, 2:46.77 for Tsegay).

With four laps to go, Hailu had been dropped and Muir was ten meters behind the lead four-woman pack. Muir never gave up but she’d never be a factor the rest of the way.

The post-race splits reveal that Tsegay gathered herself for the finishing kick during the penultimate 400, which she covered in 69.15, with the 100 between 2500 and 2600 being the slowest of the night (17.69). Tsegay then surged and opened up a small gap with 300 meters remaining but her chasers responded and did not give up.

St. Pierre, who had been in fourth the entire race since the 1k mark, moved into third just before the bell and she moved into second on the backstretch. The battle for gold was now on. In the end, shockingly it was the American who ended up winning thanks to a final 200 of 29.76 and final 100 of 14.69.

“It’s definitely really emotional. It’s a dream come true,” said St. Pierre, who said the race played out exaclty how she anticipated (fast) and she thought that was to her benefit. “I knew it would be a fast race. I knew there was amazing athletes that I was going up against and I think that I was confident that that would work to my benefit. And so I just tried to get myself into a good position and hang on to the pace and close as fast as I could. It was nice to not to be thinking about pace that much and just to be competing out there.

“I just hung on to the pace and I was like, OK, OK, I think you can do a few more laps at this pace as long as it doesn’t pick up too much. And then next thing I knew there was 400 to go. And I was like, OK, I can run a fast 400. And so I just hung on and, you know, I believed in myself because, you know, I’m a miler,” added St. Pierre, who said she believes giving birth in March 2023 has made her stronger.

Video of the finish, results and analysis appear below.

In other women’s action, Femke Bol won the women’s 400 in a world record of 49.17, former Texas star Julien Alfred captured the women’s 60 in a co-world leading time of 6.98, as Molly Caudery earned Britain’s first female gold at the 2024 World Indoors as she won the pole vault with a 4.80 clearance. WA recap of those events is here.

Already A State Champion, Arelle Middleton Has Her Sights Set On Paralympic Glory

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by Lela Moore | usparatf

Arelle Middleton knew her throw of 12.02 meters was good enough for a California state title in the shot put last May.

What the Los Osos High School freshman did not know at the time was that the mark would have won her a gold medal in the women’s F64 classification at the Para track and field world championships later that summer.

Middleton found that out in December when U.S. Paralympics Track & Field named her its High School Female Field Athlete of the Year. The 15-year-old received one of the top honors among 44 athletes who made the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High School All-American list.

“It was a pretty big deal to me,” Middleton said. “To get recognized for all the work, to see that other people think I’m a good thrower.”

Sandra Van Embricqs, Middleton’s mother, said that the recognition was “totally unexpected” and a “nice surprise” after watching her daughter’s talent for throwing develop over the years.

Van Embricqs, a high school basketball coach and French teacher at Chino High School in California, has always encouraged Middleton to compete in sports.

In 2019 and 2020, Middleton won Southern California sectional matches in wheelchair tennis, and she now competes at a high level in both track and wheelchair basketball.

Currently, Van Embricqs drives Middleton, now a sophomore at Los Osos, an hour each way to wheelchair basketball practice twice a week, before or after school. Van Embricqs said she is relieved now that her daughter can train for track and field at her high school. Middleton did not participate in indoor track this season but is preparing for her outdoor season this spring.

Middleton’s left leg is about six inches shorter than her right, and her left hip is also underdeveloped, because of a congenital femoral deficiency. Officially classified as F44, she would have competed in F64 at the world championships as F44 was not on the program for shot put.

While Middleton has competed in Para track and field meets like the Angel City Games, where she first realized her throwing talents, Van Embriqcs encouraged her to try out for her high school track and field team and to compete against able-bodied athletes in the sport.

“As a mom, as a coach, I’ve just been watching it in awe because I knew what she could do in the Para world,” Van Embriqcs said.

Middleton has participated in Para track and field clinics since age 12 and, more often than not, she wound up at the top of the podium at those competitions.

“But to see her compete against able-bodied people in the way that she has this past year, that’s been pretty amazing,” Van Embriqcs said.  

While Middleton thrives in both the discus and the shot out, she prefers the shot put because it requires less footwork, which is more complex for her because of her shorter left leg.

Van Embriqcs termed Middleton’s success in track and field as “icing on the cake” for her daughter.

“Having a disability and always having people look at you as ‘less than’ or ‘less capable than,’ and then to have her beat them out as a freshman, that was amazing,” Van Embriqcs said.  

Middleton’s teammates, as well as her high school coaches and athletic director, have embraced her.

“I’m really happy for that, because not everybody has that experience,” Van Embriqcs said.

“The older you get, the less people really care about it,” Middleton added.

Set to graduate in 2026, Middleton aspires to compete in college and beyond in both wheelchair basketball and track and field. Right now, though, she said mostly basketball programs have been approaching her. Some programs will allow her to do both sports, and she believes that the cross-training will benefit her performance in each one.

Before Middleton even considers college offers, there’s a gigantic athletic opportunity in the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 this August. The prospect of competing on the world’s largest stage would be enticing no matter what, but Middleton has family in Europe who would provide a large cheering section for her if she qualified for the Games.

Both mother and daughter are learning the ropes of the Paralympic qualification process as they go.

“There’s a lot to learn,” Van Embriqcs said. “(But) I’m excited for Arelle. Her future looks bright, and I think 2024 is going to be an exciting year.”

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