From Greystones, Co. Wicklow, and an electrician by trade, Malone read an article on archery in the Southside newspaper in 1982 that mentioned an upcoming introductory training course. At a stage in his life where he was searching for a sport that was not physically demanding or intensely competitive, he enrolled and discovered he possessed a natural facility for the sport.

Within six years he had qualified for the Olympic Games. He competed at Seoul alongside teammate Noel Lynch and was coached by Hans Blum, the Dutch sports physiologist who served as the sport’s national trainer.