"I just couldn't leave things like that in Tokyo. I want to have the ending that I feel in my heart. I was disappointed after my first Paralympic experience. I knew I could go on after Tokyo and I knew I could get even better. The broken foot was a freak thing, and there was nothing I could do about it," said Medell. 

"I don't even know how I fought through after the injury, except that it was the Paralympics and I wasn't going to stop if I didn't have to. This time, in Paris, I want to be even more ready and prepared to do the mission. I want to be unstoppable," he added. 

Medell, who grew up with brachial plexus palsy, a paralysis that affects the arm, began competing internationally in 2015 and quickly rose to the top of the sport. After winning the Paralympic bronze medal at +75 kg, Medell was forced to find a new class when his category was replaced by +70kg for the Paris quadrennial. He decided to move up to +80kg.

"Honestly, it's not going to affect me, it hasn't so far. I've always been ranked in the top 3-4, so it made sense to try it. I think the change got rid of the people who weren't big enough to hang in the class. It just looks like the people around me have got bigger, really. I can deal with that," Medell stressed. 

The 2019 and 2023 Pan American Games champion works in a factory as a welder from 6am to 2pm, and then spends his off hours in conditioning and training. His training schedule is in a cool mode at the moment, as he will start serious work later in the spring to prepare his body for Paris. For now, it's a case of getting the details right to get his conditioning in the right place for the hard work. 

"I want to be focused and think about everything I do. It's about being prepared in every way. I went to the World Championships after Tokyo without much preparation and I paid the price by blowing my hammy. I don't want to be like that when I have the chance to do more. I want Paris to be my best performance," he concluded.