 Here for Razorback Shafiqa Maloney representing St. Vincent 100 meters to go 18 seconds to go under two minutes Shafiqa Maloney she is going to go well not only did she clock sub two minutes but Shafiqa Maloney has booked her ticket to Paris 2024 the Olympic Games that is to compete in the women's 800 meters the 24 year old Vincentian smashing her own national 800 meter record this past Saturday at the Tyson Invitational that happened in Arkansas USA Maloney clocked a lifetime best 1 minute 58.69 seconds to win the event elevating her to the number two spot in the world in the women's 800 this year Maloney joins us now on zoom Shafiqa welcome to the sportsmax zone it's a pleasure for us here to be talking to you we saw the closing probably 50 meters that of the event just now and I saw the arms driving and I I just figured that your coaches words were in your ears at the time talk to us about your finish and the personal best run first thank you for having me on here it's a pleasure if you listen if you watch the video on YouTube you can hear a better audio of coaches yelling at us for every lap so when I came around at last 50 he was like keep going keep going and so usually even if he's not there whether or not he's there always go to my arms the last 50 so you know I always try to make that a habit and when I got to that line and I realized how fast I could probably run I just like you ain't got nothing to lose right now and I just went to my arms yeah I could see the arms they were very noticeable Shafiqa talk to us about your reaction to the performance because it's by far a a PB for you um are you surprised that you went that fast so early in the season uh yes and no um coach always told me like from since December that you know I could go some two indoors and even make the olympic standard but I didn't think it was going to be that early um but it happened I was I was in disbelief because that week was hard for me mentally and I didn't know how I was going to get around that track and you know I prayed I prayed a lot and read my bible the day two days before and the day of I mean I always read my bible but I was I was really in it with with the lord those couple days leading up to an Iran and you know that race is just the epitome of how good the lord has been to me um without him that we can would not have been possible at all he has been keeping me these past years honestly and so when I when I've been watching my race on repeat and you know telling how many times and I just um I can't even find out what to describe how it's just seeing how good the lord has been to me yeah you just said that the week was tough for you um mentally could you expand on that a bit almost every week is tough for me you know I'm on sponsor that don't have any support I can't work legally I don't have any income so you know trying to figure out where your next food going to come from if I have my mom or dad or I get some money from somebody it's like do I pay bills do buy supplements do I get some groceries or do I go get me a massage and see the car practice you know some days it's easier and some days it's not and that week everything was hitting a little bit harder well starting revelations there Shafiq we're very concerned to hear that but of course we have um outlined on this show many many times that the track and field contestants or performers really have a tough time I mean you know there are some of the elite ones who are world and Olympic champions who are okay financially but a lot of athletes at your level are really struggling aren't they uh yeah for sure um being a professional track has been my goal since I knew who Keniki Alexander was my dad always tell me about Keniki and once I got to running in high school I was just like this is what I want to do uh anybody ask me what I wanted to be when I grow up I say I want to run it was very immature and when I got to college I realized you know I can't run forever so you know some changes had to be made but this I love to run and this is something I wanted to make a career out of and so you know I've just been at it no matter the circumstance especially these past two years yeah well we know Keniki who's an outstanding U.S. collegiate runner as well and and Olympian Keniki Alexander and we're not surprised to hear that you uh have been inspired by her um Shafiq you're you're a 51 700 400 runner the way 800s run these days with a lot of pace um how much emphasis do you put on your 400s and your speed work to be a more potent 800 meter runner uh a lot of people don't know this but I started running the 820 and I don't even count that year because it was kind half a year because of COVID and I wasn't training for the 800 my first time on the track I ran like 211 the next year I went to 201 and then I got down to 159 last year and now I'm at 158 but uh training has changed a lot over the years at first like I said I wasn't training for the 800 I was still training for the four did a couple of sixes in practice and coaches like all right we're gonna try to eight and then 2021 you know I'm I'm still a part of university Arkansas and I had to be able to run the four by four whatever the case was and I was still heavily into 400 so you know coach found a good balance between 400 and 800 practice and then last year um I was able to work last year and I was working like 60 hours a week and I think coach realized you know we only have enough time to focus on one thing really and so a lot of my workouts was 800 days hardly any speed work and this past year is I could count on my hands having time I've done speed work I haven't really been doing my speed work you know but I don't I don't stress or anything I trust whatever the plan coach has for me and if it's not time for speed work yet I don't worry about it and I've been running fast without it so not going to say I don't need it but you know we still have a lot of improvements to make based on training and you know um I don't know I this I probably should talk to coach but you know I trust whatever plan he has for me I don't know if any 400 is still in my future might be me not whatever it is I trust coaching I just go along with the plan he has for me yeah you know Shafiq I listen to you and listen to you speak about your struggles and I feel that because there are so many athletes who are trying to make this sport work who are trying to be the very best that they can be but the financial situation just won't allow them to but not many of those athletes get to be number two in the world at any point and no you are number two in the world in the indoor 800 meters despite the struggles that you are having I can't even say that you have had because I suspect you are still having them first of all how much are you hoping that this performance will change your current financial situation or at least will go a long way in helping to do that well I trust in the Lord and whatever he has planned for me and if the 158 helps out a lot so be it if the Lord says it's not time when we still got more work to do before you get some help then you know I'm all for following the plan um being a professional athlete is not easy I don't think a lot of people realize how much goes into being a professional especially in the U.S. I'm from the Caribbean if I need some food I can't go back to my grandma house and be like I'm hung you know can I get some food over the cases when you're okay most of the time you're on your own from coaching fee like I have not paid my coach in three years or so and you know this is America if folks don't get paid they don't they're not going to work you know and so you know a lot of kudos to my coach for sticking with me despite everything and you know he's not in it for the money you know he he saw the talent and what I am capable of and you know for him to you know be able to work with me despite you know not being able to pay him in and stuff because I would like to pay my coach like he sacrifices a lot you know I don't have to pay to use the track or the weight room I haven't paid my weight coach either as you know for both of them to still work with me despite all that and to the university Arkansas that still you know allows me to be around and use their facilities um you gotta get massage therapies supplements chiropractor food living situation I've been homeless for like a couple months yeah I've been especially last year I was bouncing around from home to home right now I was living like a dorm situation so I'm happy for these people who allow me to stay here right now but it's it's been hard and you know I've I've had to put my trust in God I really had to put my trust in God because when I started out this last year knowing that I wasn't going to be able to work I don't know what my financial situation was going to look like one thing I knew though that I was going to put in the work and after a while I realized that's the only thing I had control of and so when I came to practice I worked I worked so hard sometimes I couldn't even walk off the track sometimes and you know in life you gotta make sacrifices to get where you want to get to and I made those sacrifices but I also had to make sure those sacrifices didn't you know just be in vain and so I had to do the work when I got to the track and I did that yeah there is certainly something about the relationship at the moment between Caribbean athletes and the University of Arkansas so kudos to the University of Arkansas in your current struggles though where is the St Vincent and the Grenadines Athletics Federation or the National Olympic Committee of St Vincent and the Grenadines what have they been saying to you because you are at the moment the best athlete in your country and yes you have youngsters coming through but at the moment you are the best Olympic prospect and by a distance the number one athlete in your country so what have they been saying to you I've been sending emails for a couple probably since 2021 because after I got done with school in 2021 I signed up for OPT which allowed me to work for a year in my field of study and that's how I was able to fund my 2022 season and it was hard because I was working 60 hours a week plus training and I was even surprised I ran 159 I didn't even know I had that in me and that day when I crossed I cried I cried and unfortunately it wasn't enough to go to world championships last year it was not but with regards to my association and the Olympic Committee from what they've been telling me is that they don't have the funds to support an athlete of my caliber so you know I'm not into where funding comes from Shafika that's shocking to me that is beyond shocking to me because if the authorities in St Vincent and the Grenadines are not going to support Shafika Maloney who is on the verge of being a world championship medalist possibly indoors on the verge of getting to the Olympic Games and doing something special then who are they going to support you're not one of 10 you're not one of 20 you're not one of 30 you are one of one in your country right now there's no other like you we also got handle when we can't stick right on handle he's at Penn State and he's also doing really good I think you brought the national record as well as for world indoors I don't think I would be able to go I've been uh my visa process um each year I've been having to you know switch over my visa process and stuff and I've recently applied for my 01 and that has cost me $8,500 which my mom has been sacrificing everything she have she works in a cruise ship and she she doesn't get paid much and she has two younger kids to take care of so every month she has been trying to help me pay for that um also with that on top of the $8,500 there's also like a $2,500 expedited fee which you could get a response in like 15 days but I could barely afford the lawyer fee so I haven't been able to pay the expedited fee and so it's been processing since July last year and it's February and I still haven't heard anything so I leave the country I can't come back in like I'm okay now because it's processing but once I hear something back I think I have 30 days before I leave the country but since I haven't heard anything I can't leave the country right now I would not be able to come back in until I hear anything and you know I just ran 158 and it's pretty important that I stick to the training plan that coach has for me um if it's one thing I realize training away from your coach is not the same as training with your coach and I don't want to do anything that would mess up you know the plan that's to come I don't plan on staying at 158 obviously there's more work to be done um after my race I realized I could go a lot faster but we still got to work hard and make sure we can maintain what we're already doing and go even faster yeah is there any possibility that this visa situation could any at all impact this summer and the Paris Olympic Games yes it can it can I emailed them and told them about the situation recently again um but um what is good thing about the u.s is there are a lot of meets here I mean it's not like any diamond league it'd be good to you know go to diamond leagues and stuff and add to my regimen stuff but if I can't there's nothing I can do about this so I'm still sitting and waiting to hear back something like I said I can't pay the expedited fees I just have to sit and wait honestly um have you have you approached any of the shoe companies and what have they been saying uh I think over the past couple years when I first got out of college I had only ran 201 and you know everybody was running fast and then last year I ran 159 and without everyone was running I still didn't think that was enough I just ran 158 so I haven't approached anyone hopefully somebody you know come knocking on my door when I also realized I also have to go out there and stuff but um I know my coaches have been with me with that right now and told me not to worry about it and I've been trusting him in that process as well yeah Shafiqa we're really happy um that you felt comfortable enough to tell us your story and at sports max I feel that we're in the business of pushing these store results there but not only that but also pushing for some answers and in this case some well-deserved assistance so I think we can promise you that this one is not done yet but we really appreciate you coming on and telling us your portion thank you very much and it's been a pleasure speaking with you thank you very much for having me appreciate it Shafiqa Maloni Lance what a story oh that's a very moving last 10 or 15 minutes we have had there Ricardo and I'm eager to find out and you were pressing it just now with the Saint Vincent of the Grenadines Athletic Association and the Olympic Committee but I want to suggest that even with her world indoors Glasgow trip being in jeopardy because of visa issues can't the Saint Vincent of the Grenadines Foreign Affairs you know ministry get involved in so I know that the U.S. system with visa and so on is is pretty tight yes but that's that's that's what you have collaborations about and this is a case that definitely needs attention that's just one of the startling revelations that we got in the last 12 minutes from Shafiqa yeah very much the case Lance and one thing I will say for sure that having heard Shafiqa's story part of it now becomes our responsibility to continue to push and to continue to find a lot of these answers and ultimately to have Shafiqa being in a better situation Lance we're talking about the young woman who is currently number two in the world yes to run 158 69 indoors is not easy that is world-class running in any year and it's the growth as well it's not just what she has done but where she's coming from because you heard her say she was running 201 and she wasn't really challenging two three years ago so it has taken a lot of work for her to get where she is now so apart from the fact that we are seeing quality from her this indoor season I want to pay some attention to to the work that she's done the determination her trust in goddess she said to get her where she is now and she needs some rewards yeah for sure we'll continue to track this one there's no doubt about it let's take a break on the sportsmax zone we'll be back with more