WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.570 >>THE TOKYO OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPICS ARE OVER, BUT AT LEAST ONE STORY OF INSPIRATION PUT FORTH BY AN INDIANA ATHLETE 2 00:00:03.570 --> 00:00:08.174 SHOULD LAST A LIFETIME. BILL BENNER HAS MORE IN THIS WEEK'S INSIDE INDIANA SPORTS. BILL ... 3 00:00:08.174 --> 00:00:15.682 >>>GERRY, THANK YOU. HE WAS A STATE CHAMPION CALIBER SPRINTER AT HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN HIGH SCHOOL IN 4 00:00:15.682 --> 00:00:23.690 FISHERS IN 2015 WHEN HIS VISION BEGAN TO DETERIORATE IN A RAPID AND SIGNIFICANT MANNER. BUT NOAH MALONE NEVER LOST SIGHT 5 00:00:23.690 --> 00:00:30.230 OF HIS GOALS. NOT ONLY DID HE EVENTUALLY WIN THAT IHSAA CROWN IN 2019 BUT THIS PAST MONTH, HE RETURNED 6 00:00:30.230 --> 00:00:35.668 FROM THE PARALYMPICS IN TOKYO WITH A GOLD AND TWO SILVER MEDALS AND HE'S CURRENTLY ENROLLED, AND COMPETING, AT 7 00:00:35.668 --> 00:00:48.415 INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY. IT IS MY HONOR TO WELCOME HIM TO THE PROGRAM AND WELCOME, SIR. HOW ARE YOU DOING? 8 00:00:48.415 --> 00:00:56.289 >> DOING GOOD. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> GREAT TO HAVE YOU AND WE WILL TALK ABOUT YOUR CONDITION IN A 9 00:00:56.289 --> 00:01:03.696 MOMENT. I WANT TO GET YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE TOKYO EXPERIENCE WITH THE PARALYMPICS AND THE SUCCESS 10 00:01:03.696 --> 00:01:11.671 YOU HAD. IT TOOK TWO WORLD RECORDS TO BEAT YOU IN THE 10400 METERS AND YOU GOT THE GOLD MEDAL ON THE 11 00:01:11.671 --> 00:01:21.481 RELAY TEAM BUT WHAT A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE. TALK ABOUT THAT IF YOU WOULD. >> TO SAY THE LEAST I COULD NOT 12 00:01:21.481 --> 00:01:28.354 EVEN PUT THAT EXPERIENCE IN WORDS. I AM DONE WITH MY FOURTH INTERNATIONAL TRIP AND THE PAST 13 00:01:28.354 --> 00:01:36.830 THREE DON'T EVEN COMPARE TO TOKYO. I WAS OVER THERE FOR 27 DAYS AND WE WERE OUT FOR THE FIRST TEN 14 00:01:36.830 --> 00:01:45.505 AND TRANSITION TO THE VILLAGE AND EVERY SINGLE DAY WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL. EVEN WITH NO FANS IT WAS AMAZING 15 00:01:45.505 --> 00:01:55.482 COMPETING IN THAT STADIUM AND I HAD SIX TOTAL RACES SO I WAS ABLE TO RAISE SIX DIFFERENT TIMES AND IT WAS SPECIAL EVERY 16 00:01:55.482 --> 00:02:03.089 SINGLE TIME. I COULD NOT COMPARE TO ANY SCHOOL MEET OR ANY TYPE I'VE EVER BEEN INTO, SO IT WAS GREAT. 17 00:02:03.089 --> 00:02:11.397 THE CULTURE THERE IS GREAT. CAN'T COMPLAIN AT ALL. >> THIS ALL BEGAN IN YOUR EARLY TEENS WHEN YOU WERE IN SCHOOL 18 00:02:11.397 --> 00:02:19.973 AND YOU SUDDENLY HAD TROUBLE FOCUSING ON WHAT WAS BEING WRITTEN ON THE CHALKBOARD AND FURTHER TESTS DISCOVERED YOU HAD 19 00:02:19.973 --> 00:02:33.052 A CONDITION CALLED OPTIC NEUROPATHY AND YOU HAVE A 2400 VISION AND YOUR LEFT EYE AND 2600 IN YOUR RIGHT, BUT 20 00:02:33.052 --> 00:02:44.364 NONETHELESS, YOU CONTINUE TO USE TRACK AND COMPETING AS YOUR INSPIRATION AND AS I MENTIONED YOU WON THE 200-METER RACE IN 21 00:02:44.364 --> 00:02:53.907 2019 BUT WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE STORY AND PATH THAT YOU HAVE FOLLOWED TO THIS POINT. >> THANK YOU IT'S BEEN A 22 00:02:53.907 --> 00:03:02.448 JOURNEY. ALL SIX YEARS I LOST MY VISION IN 2015 LIKE YOU SAID SO ALMOST SIX YEARS TO THE MONTH IT 23 00:03:02.448 --> 00:03:19.465 WOULD'VE BEEN AUGUST 2015. IT'S A LONG PROCESS GETTING INTRODUCED AND DOWN THE LINE AT THE SAME TIME BEING ENROLLED AND 24 00:03:19.465 --> 00:03:27.807 DIFFERENT LESSONS I'VE LEARNED, BUT IT ALL HAS COME TO CREATE THE PERSON I AM TODAY SO I'M THANKFUL FOR EVERY STEP I'VE 25 00:03:27.807 --> 00:03:34.047 TAKEN. >> YOU'VE WRITTEN A BOOK ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE OF LOSING VISION AND NOT DREAMS. 26 00:03:34.047 --> 00:03:42.121 IT'S AN OUTSTANDING READ AND I SUGGEST ANY YOUNGSTER FACING CHALLENGES WOULD BENEFIT BY READING THIS. 27 00:03:42.121 --> 00:03:51.664 WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION BEHIND THAT? >> HONESTLY THE MOTIVATION WAS TO GIVE HOPE TO PEOPLE WHO WANT 28 00:03:51.664 --> 00:04:00.039 TO DO SOMETHING AT A YOUNG AGE. THAT'S WHAT I WAS AIMING AT BECAUSE WHEN I WAS 13 I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE A BOOK 29 00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:07.814 OR ANYTHING TO SEE SOMEBODY ELSE IS GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING AS ME AND THAT WOULD GIVE ME MORE HOPE. 30 00:04:07.814 --> 00:04:18.091 THE GOAL AND THE PURPOSE BEHIND THIS WAS JUST TO PUT A MESSAGE BEHIND A BOOK AND A MESSAGE OUT THERE TO ANYBODY, NOT EVEN JUST 31 00:04:18.091 --> 00:04:26.633 YOUNGSTERS BUT IF YOU ARE GOING THROUGH SOMETHING FIND SOMETHING TO MOTIVATE YOU AND HONESTLY IT WILL MAKE A HARD SITUATION 32 00:04:26.633 --> 00:04:32.972 BETTER. THAT WAS THE MAIN PURPOSE BEHIND THE BOOK. >> LESS THAN A MINUTE TO WRAP 33 00:04:32.972 --> 00:04:40.246 UP. YOU ARE COMPETING FOR THE UNIVERSITY IN ONE OF THE VERY FEW LIQUID LINE RUNNERS 34 00:04:40.246 --> 00:04:49.188 COMPETING IN DIVISION I AND I KNOW YOU ARE LOOKING TO FURTHER PARALYMPIC COMPETITIONS MOST NOTABLY PARIS IN 2024. 35 00:04:49.188 --> 00:05:00.566 TALK ABOUT WHAT IS NEXT. >> AS OF NOW I'M CATCHING UP ON ALL THE THINGS I'VE BEEN BEHIND ON, BUT AS YOU SAID COMPETING IN 36 00:05:00.566 --> 00:05:10.677 THIS UPCOMING SCHOOL SEASON THAT WILL LEAD TO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS NEXT YEAR IN JAPAN -- AUGUST OF NEXT YEAR SO RIGHT NOW I'M 37 00:05:10.677 --> 00:05:21.421 SETTLING INTO THE CAMPUS AND GOING TO CLASS LIKE A NORMAL STUDENT AND IN A FEW MONTHS I WILL GO BACK TO TRAINING AND GET 38 00:05:21.421 --> 00:05:28.561 UNDERWAY WITH THE SCHOOL SEASON. THAT'S ABOUT IT. TAKING EVERY DAY BY DAY PRETTY MUCH. 39 00:05:28.561 --> 00:05:35.668 >> AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR COMING ON THE PROGRAM. A WONDERFUL STORY OF INSPIRATION AND WE WISH YOU NOTHING BUT THE 40 00:05:35.668 --> 00:05:37.704 BEST IN WHAT'S TO COME IN THE MONTHS AHEAD.