Lismore Little Athletics' Malachi Cannings is a real life champion.

Cannings competing at the NSW All Schools Championships at Sydney Olympic Park won a medal in all of his events, often achieving a personal best.

Malachi, a 14 year old Aboriginal from the Bundjalung/Yuggera people, competes as a para athlete in the T/F20 category. At the NSW All Schools Championships, he won gold in the shot put, discuss and 800 metres, where he ran a personal best time. He achieved a silver with a personal best in the long jump; a silver in the 100 metres sprint, where he ran a personal best time and a silver in the 200 metres sprint, where he ran a personal best time. In the long jump, Malachi broke the Under 15 F/20 Australian Record for his classification.

Malachi Cannings, who wants to emulate Cathy Freeman and Usain Bolt, powers towards the line in the 800 metres.

A student at Blue Hills College, Goonellabah, Malachi wants to emulate 2000 Olympic Games gold medalist Cathy Freeman and eight-times Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, the greatest 100 metres sprinter of all-time.

He has qualified for Australian Championships for the past five years, taking him to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra.

Malachi went to the 2020 Athletics ACT Championships in January where he won five gold medals out of six events. He then took part in the Little Athletics Regional Championships in Tamworth where he won six gold medals from six events. Malachi also took part in the ACPE NSW Junior Championships also at Sydney Olympic Park in February, where he won four gold medals, two silver medals and two bronze medals from eight events. The onset of the global coronavirus pandemic has shut down the rest of Malachi's athletic championships until the NSW All Schools Championships this month.