| Noelle Malkamaki | |
| Sport: | Para-athletics |
| Event: | shot put |
| Disability Class: | F46 |
| Disability: | Amniotic band syndrome |
| Coach: | Brandon Murer |
| Birth Date: | 9 January 2001 |
| Birth Place: | Decatur, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education: | DePaul University |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Noelle Malkamaki (née DeJaynes; born January 9, 2001) is an American Paralympic athlete specializing in shot put. She will represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
Malkamaki attended St. Teresa High School in Decatur, Illinois, where she participated in volleyball and track and field. During her junior and senior year she helped St. Teresa finish in third place at the Illinois State 1A High School Championships.[1]
Following high school graduation she attended DePaul University where she participated in track and field.[2] [3] She graduated from DePaul in December 2023 with a degree in English literary studies.[4]
At the 2022 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships, she won her first national title and set an American record in the shot put with a throw of 12.18 meters.[5] In 2023, she won her second national title and set a then world record of 12.63 meters.[6]
With her nationals win, Malkamaki was named to the team to compete at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships, where she made her international debut for the United States. During the 2023 World Para Championships she won a gold medal in the shot put F46 event with a world record throw of 13.32 meters.[7] [8] She again represented the United States at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships and won a gold medal in the shot put F46 event with a throw of 13.12 meters.[9] [10]
In July 2024, during the U.S. Paralympic team trials, she set a new world record throw of 13.60 meters, and qualified to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[11] [12] [13]
Malkamaki was born to Christopher and Sara DeJaynes, and has a sister, Caley.[14] She was born with a congenital birth defect, amniotic band syndrome, which prevented her right hand from developing.[15] She married her "high-school sweetheart," Robert Malkamaki (a graduate of Loyola University and now a line producer at NewsNation), on July 25, 2020.[4]