Malej was born in Savica pri Srednji vasi in Bohinj. He was the youngest of five children. His parents, Janez and Marija, worked on a farm in Laški Rovt.[1] From 1913 to 1920, Malej attended elementary school in Bohinjska Bistrica. He left for Ljubljana in 1922, to train in an umbrella making workshop, and started working at L. Mikuž in 1926. At the age of 14, Malej joined the Slovenian Sokol athletics movement. Even as a member of the junior team, he already excelled in parallel bars and horizontal bar.[1] He started competing with the member team in 1926.
In 1929, Malej was in Petrovaradin on military service in the aviation unit. After returning to Ljubljana, he resumed his gymnastic training. He was chosen as a member of the Yugoslavia team competing at the 1930 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Luxembourg. The first day of the competition ended tragically for the team: Leon Štukelj slipped when finishing his routine on the horizontal bars, and Malej injured his spine while finishing his routine on the rings.[1] Both were taken to the hospital. Štukelj quickly recovered, though he could not continue with the competition, but the injuries that Malej sustained turned out to be fatal. He died in hospital in Luxembourg on 15 July 1930.[1] Malej's colleague Antosiewicz blamed faulty preparations for the accidents: because of the rain, the competition was moved from a stadium to an indoor gym of a nearby school. An investigation was carried out afterwards and determined that the school's mats were too thin.[1]
Malej's body was brought to Ljubljana on 18 July and he was laid in repose in Tabor Hall, the headquarters of the Ljubljana Sokol organization. Over 10,000 people came to pay their respects. Malej's coffin was taken first to Škofja Loka and then to Bohinjska Bistrica, where he was buried. Later, a bronze bust by renowned sculptor Lojze Dolinar was erected on his tombstone. Since 1970, the annual Malej Memorial competition has been held in Ljubljana. Streets in Ljubljana and Bohinjska Bistrica are also named after Malej.[1]
Yugoslav team at the 1928 Summer Olympics. From left to right: Viktor Murnik (coach), Gregorka, Ciotti, Derganc, Primožič, Malej, Porenta, Antosiewicz, and Štukelj.
