An 800m runner from St. Vincent and Grenadines made history for her Caribbean country with historic feat despite being homeless.
A relatively unknown runner Shafiqua Maloney from the Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, made history for her country by reaching the Paris 2024 Olympic 800m final.
The 25-year-old from her 'tiny' Island with an estimated population of 110,872, became the first athlete from her country to make the Olympic final, despite being her only country's representative at the Games.
However, what's more interesting about Maloney's emotional story and path to Olympic greatness is that she has been homeless for a while and the people in her country crowdfunded to send her to Paris.
"I've been homeless - not having food to eat and all this stuff. God carried me through all of that and when I got here I had to believe that he didn't bring me this far just to leave me and that he would carry me straight through. I made the final. I came in ranked like 27th, and now I'm in the top eight going to the final," she said in an interview with reporters after her semifinal race.
"I'm just thankful to be here and know that in my country back home, all the people have been supporting me. I think the country played a big part. The people in the country - monetary donations, prayers, good lucks, whatever the case may be. The country has been carrying me in.
"I'm glad to be out here representing. I think I'm the first one in my country to make an Olympic final, so that in itself is an accomplishment. The job ain't done yet, I've got to go recover and come back for tomorrow and make something shake," she said.
Maloney made true to her words in the final as she got very close to winning a medal with a fourth-place finish in a brilliant time of 1:57.56, which is the best position finish for St. Vincent and the Grenadines at any global championship.
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