'I kicked the ball and my leg fell off!' – watch Paralympic hero Liam Malone's brilliant first TV appearance

October 26, 2017

He's now a household name, but Martin Tasker caught up with the sprint ace long before he was famous.

His one-liners are just as famous as his success on the track. But it turns out 'blade runner' Liam Malone has been making headlines for much longer than we remember.

The gold and silver medal-winning Paralympian gave his first TV interview back in 2006 - and TVNZ's Sunday has unearthed the footage, which hasn't been broadcast in a decade.

Malone, just 12 years old, was playing rugby in Stoke, Nelson - and was clearly undeterred by having two artificial legs.

His gutsy determination on the field caught the attention of 1 NEWS reporter Martin Tasker.

Malone said the journey to success came after he told his mum he couldn't do math because he had no legs.

The story shows that Malone's athletic ability and charm were present at an early age.

"I was having kicks with Andrew Mehrtens, and the first time I kicked the ball, my leg fell off and went flying up in the air," Malone said.

The item also features his late mum Trudi, who died in 2012 after a long battle with cancer.

For more on Liam Malone's incredible journey, watch Sunday this weekend at 7.30pm on TVNZ1.

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