Vincentian athlete Shafiqua Maloney rooting for victory at Olympic finals

History was made at Paris Olympics as Shafiqua Maloney becomes the first athlete from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to have secured a spot in the final events at such a glorious global stage.

Maloney, a 25-year-old Vincentian athlete, at the Paris Olympics, has secured her spot in the women’s 800 meters track finals which presented a remarkable milestone in her career as well as for her nation.

Maloney’s journey that landed her at the finals was nothing short of sensational. Making into the semifinals, she really turned it on, clocking an impressive time of only 1:57.59. Her second lap proved excellent and was impressive enough to place her from middle-of-the-pack to a very strong second place at the end of her heated performance.

This was not just any of her personal record, the reason being the performance helped Maloney rank as the fourth-fastest going into the final race, among all competitors.

Born on 27^th of February 1999, Maloney is a Vincentian middle-distance runner holding indoor and outdoor national records in the 800 meters. She spent a couple years studying at Southern Illinois University and later on she went on to continue pursuing her career in athletics at the University of Arkansas in 2018.

Maloney has competed in every field from the 200m and 400m to the 800m and 300m hurdles. At the 2021 NACAC U23 Championships, she earned a gold medal in the 800 meters and a silver medal in the 400 meters.

Previously at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Maloney had the chance to represent her nation in the women’s 800 meters and was solely honored to be the flag-bearer for her country as they merged forward in the Parade of nations at the opening ceremony.

With the final being scheduled at 3:48pm Eastern Caribbean time on Monday, the Vincentian athlete is preparing for the same and shall undoubtedly aim for her name to be engraved in the history.