Another Okotoks athlete will be heading to Tokyo in the next few weeks.

After a long period of uncertainty, it's been confirmed Zak Madell and the rest of Canada's wheelchair rugby team will be competing in the 2020 Paralympic games.

This isn't Madell's first rodeo, with gold medal wins in the 2019 National Championships and the 2015 World Wheelchair Rugby Games among his accolades.

He also represented Canada at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic games, bringing home silver in 2012.

With uncertainty about the start of the 2020 games when they were first delayed, Madell was relieved at the news.

He says he's been training with the team as if the games were going ahead, so they're not feeling rusty or underprepared.

"I think our rugby team has taken full advantage of this extra year of preparation, and hopefully we'll have some new tricks up our sleeves. For myself personally, I had to overcome an injury in early 2020. I would've been back and ready for the games, but having that extra year to make sure my body is fully rehabilitated and ready to rock has been, I think, a bit of a blessing in itself."

Since March they've been meeting for at least one training camp a month, usually in Ontario.

The team will meet one last time in Vancouver before flying out east.

"We fly to Japan on August 17th. We've got about a week before our first game to acclimate for the time change and the heat and everything once we get there, so our first game is not until the 25th, so we'll be able to get settled into the village and figure out the lay of the land, get comfortable, and then showtime."

He says travelling for these events is never easy.

"I've got two sports chairs I've got to travel with. The airport process will be a bit of a juggling act in itself. I need to have a backup chair in case something goes wrong with my main chair. I'll have a big equipment bag that's got all the extra spare wheels, tires, parts for chairs for repairs. We use pneumatic tires, so every time you get a flat tire, we've got almost like a NASCAR pit."

As far as competition, Madell says they've got a few teams to look out for.

"I can honestly say that any team at these Paralympics would have a shot at medalling. The big one for us, the big targets for everybody, Australia because they are the current two-time reigning Paralympic champions. Japan will be looking to put on a good show obviously, and they were actually number one in the world at the last world championship in 2018."

Team Canada is in Group B in the pool phase, alongside Great Britain, the United States, and New Zealand.

 

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