Shafiqua Maloney On Her Path From Being Homeless, Unsponsored To Running 1:57 To Finish 4th In The Olympic 800m Final

The CITIUS MAG Podcast | A Running + Track and Field Show

CITIUS MAG

Running, Sports

4.8 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 30 January 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“I had to really sit down and look at the journey, how far I’ve come, what I was able to accomplish in such a short time in my opinion, and just everything that I went through. It doesn’t haunt me. Like I said, I'm a graceful loser. But I'm training and I'm doing the work to make sure that if I'm ever in that position again – we'll see!”

My guest for today's episode is Shafiqua Maloney, a name that maybe most track and field fans don't know, but should. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she made history as the first athlete from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to reach an Olympic final and finish fourth in the women's 800m, but her journey to that starting line was anything but easy.

In the past few years, Shafiqua has faced struggles that most athletes never talk about – months of homelessness, the constant battle of pursuing an elite career without a sponsor or financial stability. Yet through it all, she never gave up. With the unwavering support of her mother, her coach, and her faith, she found a way to persevere and it all came together in Paris where she ran 1:57 on the biggest stage in the sport.

Today, we talk about how she fought through those times, what it means to represent her country on such a big stage, and what comes next for an athlete determined to keep proving she belongs among the world's best. She'll be one of the headliners for the 2025 Millrose Games on February 8th in New York City. If you're in the area, get your tickets now.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram

Guest: Shafiqua Maloney | @shaf400mx2 on Instagram

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Ready to launch your business? Get started with the commerce platform made for entrepreneurs.
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0:17.5	From startups to scaleups, online, in person and on the go shopify is made for entrepreneurs
0:23.3	like you sign up for your one dollar a month trial at shopify dot com slash setup hello everybody and
0:32.0	welcome to the city of smack podcast i'm chris chavez and this is my show where i chat with some of the
0:36.0	biggest names on the track on the roads within the within the coaching ranks, and across the running industry.
0:40.3	Our guests sit down and open up in depth to share their experiences, brilliant insights,
0:44.0	and vivid snapshots from their professional and personal accomplishments in the sport.
0:48.7	Before we hit our interview, you know we love giving the listeners a shout out when they leave us a review. If you want yours to be read, leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and let us know why you love this show.
0:59.3	This week's review comes to us from user Cole Hawker.
1:03.8	He titled the review, Great, gave it five stars, and says Chris knows his track knowledge and is just great.
1:10.6	Now, I actually don't know if that's the real Cole Hocker,
1:14.5	but I'll choose to believe that the real one would say the same exact thing.
1:19.3	If you want your review to be read,
1:20.7	drop us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts today.
1:25.4	My guest for today's episode is Shafika Maloney, a name that maybe most track and field
1:29.7	fans don't know, but they should.
1:32.7	At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she made history as the first athlete from St.
1:36.8	Vincent and the Grenadines to reach an Olympic final and finish fourth in the women's 800 meters,
1:42.7	but her journey to that starting line was
1:44.5	anything but easy. In the past few years, Shafika has faced struggles. Most athletes never talk
	...

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