“I was screaming and screaming when I saw he had won gold,” the proud Maitland grandmother said.

“I’ve kept a scrapbook for a long time.”

The Olympic debutant won gold in Beijing on Saturday in the K1 500m event, adding to his bronze medal win in the K1 1000m event on Friday.

Wallace came from behind in both events to grab medal victories, winning the 500m event in a time of one minute 37.252 seconds and beating out Canadian favourite Adam van Koeverden.

Competing in the Olympics has kept Wallace busy, but he still has time for his family.

Although he spends a lot of time overseas, Wallace still keeps in contact with 87-year-old Maloy and her 95-year-old sister, Theresa.

Wallace and some of his family went as far as flying down from the Gold Coast to celebrate Theresa’s birthday earlier this year, staying only four hours before flying back.

“He’s a lovely boy,” Maloy said. “I know I’m his grandmother, but he really is a terrific fellow. He wouldn’t forget us.”

Maloy said she kept in regular contact with Wallace’s parents. He grew up in Wyong, spending time at his grandmother’s house on the weekends, before moving to the Gold Coast at age 11.

There he was discovered at age 16 by coach Jimmy Owens.

Now a professional lifeguard, the 25-year-old told his grandmother he hoped to get his Gold Coast job back after returning from Beijing.

“I think he’ll be busy up there for a while,” Maloy said.

Although confined to a walking frame after fracturing her femur in November 2007, the active pensioner still cheered her grandson’s races home from the living room.

“I would have loved to have gone ,” Maloy said.

“I think Ken just wanted a medal, but gold was just fantastic.”

There had been over 40 calls to her house to congratulate Wallace since Friday, she said.

While warming up for last Thursday’s semi-final, the relaxed and friendly Wallace realised he had left himself too little time to get to the starting line.

Hauling his kayak out of the warm-up lake, he jumped a fence and ran to the course proper, where he qualified.

He has now succeeded 36-year-old clint Robinson as Australia’s premier kayaker.

With two medals under his belt, Maloy said her grandson would “definitely” be heading to the 2012 Olympics in London. He could be joined by his younger sister Bernadette, another kayaking enthusiast.