What's next for Liam Malone? Kiwi blade runner sets bold new goal

Liam Malone has announced to the world that he wants to be the fastest man in the world across 400m. Photo / Photosport

Double gold medalist Liam Malone is refusing to get comfortable as he basks in his Paralympic success.

The 22-year-old returned to a somewhat normal life in New Zealand after claiming two gold medals in the 200m and 400m, and a silver medal in the 100m at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio two months ago.

It wasn't a lavish mansion or a $140 million cheque, like fellow Kiwi athlete Steven Adams, that Malone returned home to, but a set of university exams that he thought would be more challenging than the Paralympics themselves.

He was back to living off a student allowance, and was frequently telling stories of how his car was breaking down.

But in amongst all that, Malone was receiving a hoard of MC invitations, coroporate sponsorship deals, charitable opportunities, and a flooded inbox of fan mail.

An overwhelming response which he admits has been tough to handle.

However, in typical Liam Malone fashion, he isn't at the top just yet.

"I didn't want to come back from the Paralympics and just get comfortable, and just be defined by running in circles," Malone told Newstalk ZB's Tony Veitch.

No, instead the Kiwi blade runner wants to become the fastest man on earth over 400m.

"It's a real long shot, but if I can get a whole lot of funding from corporate sponsors, it's definitely plausible that I can run as fast as what the able body guys are running at the next Olympics if not faster," he said.

"I have no desire to compete against able body people, but that is the target in the back of my mind at the moment."

Malone will need to improve his current 400m personal best by at least three seconds to beat Olympic champion and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk.

van Niekerk ran 43.03 compared to Malone's 46.20, but the youngster believes it can be done.

"It's a combination of both improving my athletic ability and then matching that with innovating the blades," he said.

"I just think that would be so powerful for people with disabilities. If someone like myself was running faster than the fastest person in the world over 400m."

For now, however, he'll have to focus on all those sponsorship deals. A task which doesn't take lightly as he filters through the requests.

"In terms of picking and choosing what I do, it's just where I think I can add value to whatever event it is. There's no point me going and speaking at an event where I have no relation to it.

"I hope, in the next sixth months, to set up some sort of foundation in which I can give other kids with disabilities the tools to engineer their own pathways.

"You can put on as many events as you want, and try and give them a path, but the best thing you can do is give them the tools they need to go in the direction they want to go."