A podium push at the Paris Paralympics is the goal, but it isn’t everything.
Okotokian Zak Madell, who will be competing at his fourth Paralympic Games in wheelchair rugby at Paris 2024 from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, is going in with the kind of perspective that only comes from experience.
“It’s a little different this time around,” Madell said. “We’ve gone in as the underdogs, we’ve gone in as the favourites, we’ve gone in not knowing what to expect with COVID going on.
“This time around, I think we just need to be prepared for anything that the world throws at us.”
Madell, a four-time Paralympian and three-time Parapan Am Games medallist, has long been considered one of the top wheelchair rugby athletes in the world.
The 30-year-old finished second in tournament scoring at both the 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo and last year’s Parapan Am Games in Chile.
Canada has finished second, fourth and fifth at the past three Paralympics.
“I count my blessings every time I get to compete for Canada and represent the nation playing a sport that I love,” he said. “Going to these Games, obviously winning is one of the things on our checklist and a priority of ours, but just really going and living in the moment.
“I know in the past, we’ve been so focused on the outcome and the results and if you don’t get that it really sours the experience.
“I want to make sure that if this is my last Games, that I have a lot of fond memories and stopping and smelling the roses a little bit, taking the village for what it has to offer, enjoying Paris, making sure we’re not tiring ourselves and showing up prepped for the Games, but just focusing on the journey as much as the destination.”
Madell said the team had a tough time recruiting and developing new talent during the pandemic, but that has started to pick up again as the world returned to the new normal.
“I’m pretty confident in this squad we have now,” he added. “We’re playing some of the best rugby I’ve seen in a long time, we’ve got some young, new, exciting up-and-comers who are bringing some really positive assets to the team.
“We’re number-five in the world going in so if we can show up with not too much pressure we can hopefully show up and take the world by storm and surprise some of these teams and have a couple of fun upsets. Canada is usually good for one or two of those in a tournament.”
Madell, who debuted at the 2012 London Games where he helped Canada win silver, said the level of the game has grown exponentially over his time in the sport.
“The whole world has come such a long way, any one of these teams could end up on the podium, or even winning gold,” Madell said. “Back then there was a lot less parity, where there were three, maybe four teams likely to be on that podium and then a drop-off to that next tier.
“There are so many tough teams in the world now. The South American teams are better every time we see them, we’re seeing more and more powerhouses coming out of Europe.”
With experience has come leadership for the Okotokian.
“I try to be as vocal as possible, because communication on the rugby court makes it easier for everyone out there,” he said. “And just being a good teammate, the more you’re talking with them, but also knowing I’ve got to set the tone a little bit and bring some of the energy. It picks up your teammates and vice versa.”
The wheelchair rugby schedule starts Aug. 29 with Canada locking horns against its longstanding rival Team U.S.A. Canada then plays Germany and Japan in the preliminary round on Aug. 30-31 with the playoff round held Sept. 1-2.
“We have our eyes on that prize at the end of the tournament and would like to be on that podium,” he said.
Outside of competition, Madell works for Wheelchair Sports Alberta and is passionate about providing opportunities for members of the disabled community to be active and involved.
The Okotokian found his way into adaptive sport after losing his fingers and legs to a septic staph infection at the age of 10 with forays in sledge hockey and wheelchair basketball leading to finding a home in rugby.
Madell, a member of the Holy Trinity Academy Wall of Fame, has been living and training out of Victoria for the past 12 months.
CBC Sports will be streaming and broadcasting the Paralympic Games. Click here for more information on the broadcast schedule.
