Ryan Medrano ’s journey to the world stage of Para athletics is anything but conventional. The 28-year-old American Paralympian , who was born with cerebral palsy, first found national fame not on the track, but as a cast member on the 43rd season of the reality television show Survivor. It was there, on the island of Fiji, that his life took a pivotal turn. Fellow contestant Noelle Lambert , a Paralympian herself, observed his athleticism and character.

“He was honestly the beast of his tribe,” Lambert later recalled, noting his boundless energy and selflessness. She informed him that his cerebral palsy qualified him for international Para sport competition, a revelation Medrano embraced. He began formal training in December 2022 and, in a meteoric rise, was competing a

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