Former Shriners Children’s St. Louis patient Noelle Malkamaki broke her own world record in shot put at the United States Paralympic Trials, and the world champion is now a heavy favorite for gold at the Paris Games.
Before getting comfortable in her duality as a para sport star and a Division I athlete, Malkamaki appreciated the comfort she felt being treated at Shriners Children’s from a young age.
Malkamaki came into this world without a right hand after being born with amniotic band syndrome, but never slowed down as a child growing up.
This Decatur, Illinois, native started going to Shriners Children’s before kindergarten and said it was one of the only spaces that felt like it was truly built for her. She knew that doctors, staff, and other patients and families wouldn’t look at her weirdly at Shriners Children’s. Everything about her limb difference felt normal there.
“I felt prioritized from a young age at Shriners Children’s,” Malkamaki said. “I felt cool there because everyone wanted to come talk to me, which was really nice as a little kid. It was a place where attention was placed on my needs, and I really appreciated that. Every individual prosthetic was a little bit different and the focus on detail was great. I tried every sport under the sun growing up. There was this level of comfort that I don’t have to have any boundaries of what I try, because we can always go to Shriners Children’s and they can help us figure something out with prosthetics.”
I felt prioritized from a young age at Shriners Children’s. I felt cool there because everyone wanted to come talk to me, which was really nice as a little kid.
Malkamaki’s athletic journey has been as much about mental development as it has about the physical aspect of her sport. The 23-year-old competed against able-bodied athletes most of her life, and she was a shot putter for DePaul University as a Division I athlete. Then, she started throwing shot in para athletics and instantly became a star, setting world records from the jump. She grappled with switching from her role as a D1 shot putter, where she said she wasn’t the best on her team, to then going to para meets and being the best in the world.
Malkamaki struggled to amp herself up for para competitions and didn’t know how to navigate at first when not wearing the DePaul uniform. However, she learned how to build a strong identity as an athlete no matter who she was competing against, and from there, she blossomed.
“The advice I would give to any young para athlete debating going both an able-bodied route and para sport route, is definitely do it,” Malkamaki said. “It is one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I grew so much as an athlete and got to know myself so much on a deeper level. The more work you can do to solidify your identity as an athlete will be helpful. When I was able to break the world record at trials it felt great; it felt like what I had hoped it would.”
Malkamaki admitted it’s both good and bad she’s seen as the favorite for gold heading into the Paris Games. She has had the opportunity to take more risks in her training, but there is a different kind of pressure as the world record holder who is expected to win gold for Team USA. The Paralympics start Aug. 28.
Noelle has always been an athlete down to her core.
Little Noelle sits next to her family's garden while wearing a bonnet.
As a child, Noelle pursued various athletic activities. She poses in a purple dance costume following a recital.
Noelle visits the pediatric orthotic and prosthetic department at Shriners Children's St. Louis to get casted for her first prosthetic.
Noelle holds a ball in one hand after trying her shot at volleyball.
Noelle relied heavily on the prosthetic received at Shriners Children's St. Louis to help stabilize her on the ice. She dons her hockey uniform for team photos.
Noelle smiles, posing after competing in the State Championship for track and field.
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