He finished fourth at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, but came back to win gold at the 1974 European Championships.

The period between the European Championships and the 1976 Summer Olympics, saw a rivalry emerge between Malinowski and Swedish athlete Anders Gärderud.

Although Gärderud retired from the sport in 1976, Malinowski faced a new contender, Henry Rono of Kenya, who set the new world record in 1978.

[3] The pinnacle of Malinowski's career came during the 1980 Summer Olympics when he took gold in the 3000 m steeplechase race by steadying himself against front-runner Filbert Bayi.

Shortly before his death, Malinowski was considering moving to Scotland, the native country of his mother, because Poland was then politically restless.