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As the world's attention is on the Paris Olympics, 17-year-old Malachi has his sights set elsewhere — on making his mark at the 2032 Brisbane Paralympic Games.
Despite the Games being eight years away, Malachi trains daily, calling the local athletics track in Lismore his second home.
"I feel like it's where I belong," he says.
"Discus, shot-put, javelin, long jump, running — I love it all."
For Malachi, being on the track in his home town feels spiritual, a place where his mind quietens and instinct takes charge, especially when he throws the javelin.
"Javelin is in my blood," he says.
"My ancestors have been throwing spears for thousands of years. It comes naturally to me."
While Malachi's natural abilities provide an advantage, it's his hard work and discipline that keep him on track to becoming a First Nations Paralympian.
Since starting competitive athletics at eight, he has accumulated a bedroom full of medals. But as he has grown older, his definition of success has changed.
"I used to be disappointed if I didn't get gold," he says.
"But now I'm all about breaking records, knowing my name is going to be on that paper forever."
Malachi currently holds five Australian records in long jump, discus, and shot-put under his T20 para-athlete classification.
He has also represented Australia twice: first at the 2022 Virtus Oceania Asia Games in Brisbane, and then at the 2023 Virtus Global Games in France, the world's largest elite sporting event for athletes with intellectual impairments.
Malachi draws inspiration from athletes like Usain Bolt and Alberto Campbell.
"Usain Bolt is my idol. I also look up to Alberto Campbell," he says.
"He's [Campbell] the same classification as me — T20. He's also adopted, like me."
For Malachi, his commitment to athletics goes beyond his physical training, it's his way of life.
"I breathe athletics. It's my mindset," he says.
"I just want to get there — and it's in reach."
Realising the opportunities
Malachi lives in Caniaba, on the outskirts of Lismore, New South Wales, with his younger brother and guardians, Annette and Malcom Sky.
Over the years, the Skys have fostered more than 23 children.
In 2010, despite their recent decision to stop fostering, they agreed to provide a home for two brothers in need.
From the start, Mrs Sky expressed concern about Malachi's health, particularly when he wasn’t meeting the developmental milestones typical for his age.
"With testing and early intervention, we found he was mentally and globally delayed," Mrs Sky says.
Malachi was diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder at age of six and underwent multiple operations. Later, he was diagnosed with ADHD and a hearing impairment.
Despite these challenges, Malachi's athletic talents were evident early on, particularly during sports carnivals where he outperformed his able-bodied peers.
But it wasn't until a visit to his paediatrician, Jackie Andrews, at age seven that Malachi's potential as a para-athlete was first flagged.
"His paediatrician said, 'Well, if he likes to run, you know that he can compete as a para-athlete?'" Mrs Sky says.
"I went, 'Are you serious? He's got all his arms and legs!'"
Today, Mrs Sky acknowledges Dr Andrews's pivotal role in shaping their lives.
"She actually helped get the paperwork and filled it out— and the rest is history," Mrs Sky says.
"Malachi's been thriving ever since, and we have her to thank."
Financial challenges
Competing in para-athletics can be costly, from flights and accommodation to coaching, uniforms and equipment.
While some costs are covered under Malachi's NDIS plan, Mrs Sky says, without occasional scholarships or grants, many expenses fall to them.
For instance, they had to pay $8,000 for Malachi to compete at the Virtus Global Games in France last year.
Over the years, Mrs Sky has advocated with both state and federal parliamentarians for better support for people with disabilities, highlighting that the cost of competition is often out of reach for many families.
One of those essential services Malachi relies on is provided by Sam Mitchell, an exercise physiologist who has been working with him for the past year.
Mr Mitchell says Malachi's determination was evident from the first day they met and discussed future goals.
"Malachi's number-one goal was working towards the Paralympics in Brisbane," he says.
"Each session he's motivated to come in, which makes the world of a difference in terms of reaching that end goal."
Mr Mitchell believes there are two things that set Malachi apart: his drive and his natural athleticism.
"He's amazingly naturally talented. I think it's definitely a gift for him to be able to move and be as quick and explosive and coordinated as he is," he says.
"Hopefully we can even push for potentially LA games in four years' time, if all things go well."
Despite the ambitious goals, the pair still finds time to incorporate fun in sessions, which Mr Mitchell says is an important part of the process.
"We've got a serious job, but we don't take ourselves too seriously," he says.
Career as elite athlete
Torita Blake is a First Nations Dunghutti woman and a two-time Paralympian.
At just five weeks old, she endured brain injuries from domestic violence, ultimately leading to cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and legal blindness.
Like Malachi, Blake was faster than most of her able-bodied peers growing up, but only became aware of her sporting opportunities when her Year 9 PE teacher brought them to her attention.
Within a year, Blake received her classification, joined an athletics club, and began competing at national events, where Paralympian and Paralympics Australia senior performance and talent advisor Tim Matthews noticed her.
"Tim said, 'You do realise you're running qualifying times for the Paralympics?'" Blake says.
Six months later, at just 16, Blake was competing at the London 2012 Paralympics.
"I had no understanding of what the Paralympics were. I remember I got over there and there were 80,000 people in the crowd," she says.
Blake would go on to compete in the Rio Paralympics four years later.
Born in Moree and raised in Logan, south-east Queensland, Blake knows firsthand the difficulties Indigenous teens from rural areas face when pursing the Paralympics, particularly the financial challenges.
Blake says, without the support of 989 FM, a national Indigenous radio station, her career as an elite athlete would not have been possible.
"Tiga Bayles and Jamie Dunn — they would ask people to ring up and donate," she says.
"They raised all the funds — so I'm always grateful for them."
Blake now uses her athletics profile to empower Indigenous youth to reach their academic and sporting ambitions.
"My main passion is trying to get more Indigenous kids with disabilities involved in sports," she says.
Blake is a mentor for Raise the Bar Academy, a joint initiative between Athletics Australia and the University of Melbourne, aimed at helping Indigenous high school students discover tertiary education and employment through sports.
She is also an ambassador for the Deadly Choices Healthy Lifestyle Program, which promotes wellness within Indigenous communities.
"I look at how many Indigenous athletes have represented Australia at the Paralympics," Blake says.
"Before Paris, there have only been 16, the first being [wheelchair basketballer] Uncle Kevin [Coombs].
"Just getting Indigenous kids involved in para sports is where we need to start."
Not even realising you're eligible
Tim Matthews says often there are talented individuals already participating in sports who may not be aware or connected to a Paralympic pathway, much like Torita Blake.
He says outreach and education are fundamental in increasing opportunities for more para-athletes to participate in future Games.
"There'll be lots of people watching the broadcast [Paris Games] that don't even know that they're currently eligible for Paralympic sport," he says.
"They just don't have an understanding of classification or which sports they may be eligible for."
Mr Matthews says this lack of understanding can also extend to coaches, administrators and those involved in sport delivery in some cases.
In a bid to change this, Paralympics Australia is aiming to make more educational classification resources available to demystify eligibility.
It is also partnering with the Australian Institute of Sport and national sporting organisations to help unearth potential para-athletes.
"We'll deliver these initiatives on the back of the Paris Paralympic Games, when interest is high and will hopefully will get some significant exposure," Mr Matthews says.
Additionally, Mr Matthews would like to see more Indigenous athletes participating in para-sports and given the opportunity to progress with the necessary support.
"Indigenous athletes face a myriad of barriers. And once you overlay these with disability and impairment, that's exacerbated in many respects," he says.
"I think we need to do better in this space across the board."
Mr Matthews says the country's 16 known Indigenous Paralympians, led by the great Uncle Kevin Coombs and others, have left a "great legacy".
"We need to build on and learn from [those para-athletes] to ensure we enable more Indigenous athletes to compete in para-sport and become our future Paralympians," he says.
"Thankfully there's been a significant announcement in terms of uplift and investment into Paralympic sport, which is amazing, but that there still requires a lot of work to do."