Maggie Malone-Hardin knows a thing or two about perseverance and maintaining hope, especially when things aren’t going your way.
The talented veteran javelin thrower is one of the best in the world, and she proved it again this season by securing a top five finish in the women’s javelin at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, which also served as the Diamond League Final.
Malone-Hardin was in fifth place headed into the final throw of the competition early Saturday afternoon. She saved her best throw for last, recording a mark of 60.42 meters, which was her fourth best mark this season and good enough for a fourth place finish. She’s proud and grateful for the strong close that she’s had to her 2023 season.
“I said to myself right before the throw, if this is your last throw, which it is for the season, would you go for it?” she said. “And I would go for it. I knew the cues we were trying to do, so I think for me, I was like God, let’s just go for it and see what happens here. I’m going to do my part, but the rest is up to you. I didn’t know how far it went, but I heard the crowd. My last four meets have been over 60 meters, and truly praise God because I didn’t know what the season was going to look like this year, and here we are.”
Malone-Hardin, who formerly held the American record in the event, made the World Championship team that competed in Budapest this season. The result wasn’t what she’d hope it would be, but the setback did not get in the way of the lesson that it provided for her, especially with so much uncertainty that surrounded her season.
“I just thought about what the season has been and what it’s taught me,” she said. “I had an early shoulder injury where I wasn’t able to throw a lot during the winter and the fall. And then to have a really mid season on U.S. soil and just knowing that I can do more, and then to be really disappointed at Worlds – I think what God has taught me in this is total dependence on Him. Overall I just feel like stewarding the gift that God gave me and being dependent on Him, but also being confident that I know what I’m doing and that the better that I do, the more I get to talk about Jesus – I think that has been such a motivator for me to say let’s go for it. Don’t just wait for God to do it for you, you have to put some skin in the game too.”
Malone-Hardin has never been shy about her faith and the journey that it’s taken her on. It’s what drives her and motivates her each day, but it also brings her a unique perspective outside of track and field. That perspective has led to what she knows to be her purpose in life, and the javelin is a tool used to help fulfill her destiny.
“He saved my life and gave me freedom,” she said. “It’s a freedom that I don’t think I’ve ever felt before, and I think that’s why I’m so passionate about it. I want everybody to feel this. I want them to see that, and when they see me to know that I am a Christian, and if they are questioning it too, I want to be a person that they can talk to about it.”
