The 21-year-old is in line to make her debut at the flagship event in Tokyo as part of Great Britain’s 4x400m outfit.
The Radcliffe on Trent-native, who trains in Loughborough, will travel to the Japanese Capital alongside teammates Victoria Ohuruogu, Nicole Yeargin, Amber Anning, Hannah Brier and Yemi Mary John.
The women’s 4x400m heats take place on 20 September with the final coming the following evening and Great Britain’s women will be hoping to replicate, if not better, the bronze they won at the event in 2023.
After a year which has already seen Malik win gold at the European U23 Championships in the same event and set her 400m personal best with a time of 51.82 seconds, the former South Notts Academy student is now ready to mix it with the world’s best.
“It means so much to me to be competing at my first worlds,” said Malik, who finished third behind Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson over 400m at the England U23 Championship in 2023.
“It’s the biggest event in athletics bar the Olympics. To be able to get there, it shows how far I have come in the sport, and I’m determined to go even further.
“I want to do as best as I can for the team and I think we have a super strong team too. I’m really excited.”
Malik’s career has been going from strength to strength in recent years, having become the BUCS outdoor 400m champion in 2024 whilst representing Loughborough University.
She was also being selected to compete at events such as the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships and 2025 World Athletics Relays.
And while competing for top honours is one of her main goals, Malik, who is half Pakistani, also wants to inspire young girls, particularly from Pakistan.
“I’m really big on girls in sport,” she continued, speaking at a Novuna-backed British camp – with the company financing the ambitions of millions across the UK, from helping business grow and individuals plan for the future, to backing British Athletics on the global stage.
“I know I didn’t necessarily have the best experience growing up in PE as a girl, so I would love girls to be able to look at me and feel inspired and know that we can do it.
“Being half Pakistani too, it’ll be nice to go out and inspire girls of that heritage as well.
“It’s really lovely for girls to see people that are like them and with the same name as them competing at the top level.
“There’s been some amazing javelin throwers from Pakistan but for women, to be able to see sprinters that are like them, I think that is really important.”
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