This season’s NCAA outdoor track and field championships marks the end of Alexandre Malanda’s time as a student athlete.
“There’s nothing after this. This is the last meet of the NCAA season,” he said. “I don’t know what I could have done better this season.”
Even just a brief glance at Malanda’s player profile on the team’s website is good enough for a casual or non-follower of collegiate track to get the gist of what Malanda’s saying. The 25-year-old out of Paris had a season for the ages in 2025 in an already strong career.
Malanda bursted onto the scene in 2023, when he captured his first two Mid-American Conference titles in the triple jump for both the indoor and outdoor championships that year. His strong performance would land him his second NCAA Regional appearance, placing 32nd in his patented event.
Although the 2024 season we got from Malanda was impressive in its own right, he repeated as champion in the indoor triple jump, the current calendar has wrapped an impressive bow on the athlete’s time in Portage County.
At this year’s indoor track MAC Championships in Ypsilanti, Michigan, Malanda repeated once more as the champion of the triple jump, becoming the second competitor ever to win the event in three straight years. At the national championships, Malanda placed seventh and in doing so became the first Flash to be an All-American in the event.
When the calendar switched to the month of May, Malanda turned it into overdrive.
Following a gold medal performance at the conference championships, Malanda would soar for a sensational personal record of 52’-9.25′ at East Regionals to secure a second place finish that would continue his career to the championship round.
Notwithstanding his strong career donning the gold and blue, Malanda still believes that he is continuing to grow as a competitor.
“I’ve been great since last fall, and I’ve come close before,” Malanda said. “I don’t know if there’s anything I’d do differently, but I just continue to trust my coaches.”
Whether it’s his calm demeanor during interviews or his tradition of posting and tagging everyone who congratulates him on his Instagram stories, Malanda has a very down-to-earth vibe about him.
“I do have more to go. I’m like anybody else, I’m a man, I try to do what I learn,” Malanda said. “I’m just working , I view track as my job and I’m here working for Kent State.”
Malanda is set to soar as a Flash for one final time Friday, June 13, when he competes in Eugene, Oregon. However, in terms of post college, he has his eyes set out west.
“I’m going back home and try to go pro,” Malanda said. “With my performance, I can compete on Team A of France for European competition.”
For the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Malanda said he is eyeing to compete for the French Olympic team and also has the 2032 games in Brisbane, Australia in mind.
Gage Wellman is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected] or @GageWellmanKSTV on X.