Evan Medell

Started: He took up the sport in 2008, and began competing in 2015. (paralympic.org, 31 Jan 2019; teamusa.org, 25 Aug 2019) Reason: He was interested in martial arts from a young age. He also played baseball in his youth, but gave up the sport to focus on Para taekwondo. (teamusa.org, 10 Mar 2020) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (teamusa.com, 17 Mar 2023) Milestones: He became the first taekwondo athlete representing the United States of America to win a medal at the Paralympic Games when he claimed bronze in the K44 +75kg category at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. (SportsDeskOnline, 06 Jan 2024; teamusa.com, 04 Sep 2021) He became the first US athlete to win a gold medal in taekwondo at the Parapan American Games when he claimed victory in the K44 +75kg event at the 2019 Games in Lima, Peru. (SportsDeskOnline, 03 Sep 2020; usskiandsnowboard.org, 03 Sep 2019) Additional Info: RETIREMENT THOUGHTS He admits that he would probably have retired from the sport if he had won gold at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. He claimed bronze in the K44 +75kg category in Tokyo, and is targeting gold at the 2024 Games in Paris before he retires. "As my competitive career moves toward the end I'm becoming even more grateful for the experiences and the people who help make it happen behind the scenes. I'll be honest, it was disappointing [to settle for bronze in Tokyo]. Going into [the 2020 Games], I had won three of the major tournaments in a row. I was feeling really good. And then I broke my foot like the second kick I threw in the semifinal match. It didn't come together the way I wanted it to. I was happy to get a medal. I was like, at least I didn't go there and get nothing. The only reason I'm back [for the 2024 Games] is to win gold. That's it. That's all I'm trying to do." (Instagram profile, 30 Nov 2023; teamusa.com, 17 Mar 2023)