EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Back in July, Ryan Medrano was preparing himself for the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials in Florida.
Medrano, 27, was riding on the heels of sustained success at multiple world championships by winning medals and setting records in about a two-year span.
Earning a spot on Team USA almost seemed a given for Medrano.
“Sometimes I really have to take a second and realize that in less than two years, I went from not running track to competing at multiple world championships, the Parapan American, setting two records against all the Americas, setting PRs (personal records) for myself and placing second in the world in an event that I’ve been training for the last year,” Medrano said at the time.
Medrano has now returned to El Paso from Paris as a Paralympic medalist. The Paris 2024 Summer Paralymipcs took place from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8.
Pictures courtesy of Ryan Medrano
He won two silver medals after competing in the men’s 400-meter T38 and the men’s 100 meter T38 at Paris.
He described his experience competing at the pinnacle of his sport.
Pictures courtesy of Ryan Medrano
“I competed internationally three times before the Paralympics, but none of them had 75,000 people in the stands. You come out from under the stadium and it is rumbling. I felt like a football player,” Medrano said.
“You’re able to come out, do your little cool thing, talk to the camera. And then (they say), ‘Get ready’ and it goes silent. And when I say silent, I mean they go, ‘On your marks,’ and nobody says a word. And as soon as that gun goes off, all hell breaks loose. You just run. And you’re running, and running. And you lean into the finish line. It gives you that motivation to do things you’ve never done before,” Medrano said.
Pictures courtesy of Ryan Medrano
On top of winning two silver medals and cementing himself as the second-fastest para-athlete in the world, Medrano broke his personal records for both events for the sixth time in a row.
For Medrano, however, the true reward went beyond the recognition, and lays in the grind of the past two years.
“This medal looks fantastic — the front, the back. I’m extremely grateful for it. But it doesn’t take away at all, if I were not to have this medal, from the effort that I put in. From the people that have been supporting me, from every day that you put that first foot forward, it’s something that can’t be replaced,” Medrano said.
Picture courtesy of Ryan Medrano
Medrano said his training and recovery were fundamental to his success in Paris, especially considering his journey there was unique.
Unlike most track and field athletes, he did not train his entire life to run a 100- and 400-meter sprint.
To prepare, he trained individually every week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at the Franklin and Coronado high school tracks, while still having to work his day-job to provide for his family.
But he said the biggest boost to his performance came when Cocoon Wellness & Recovery, a recovery center in El Paso began sponsoring him.
“I feel like (my recovery) is why I was able to hit three PRs. I learned to properly recover as an athlete. For the longest time, I was just grinding and grinding, but I didn’t give myself the time to recover. Now, once I implemented that, my training went crazy through the roof,” Medrano said
Sprints on high-school tracks, 45-minute contrast sessions in an infrared sauna and a cold plunge in the whirlpool, Medrano continues to train and prepare his body with his mind now set on the 2024 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
“(Los Angeles) is right down the street. It’s right over in California. Let’s go out there and let’s get it. Let’s show the world that El Paso has some high-caliber athletes,” Medrano said.
Besides training, Medrano also wants to break into the public speaking space, and hopes to get the opportunity to inspire and motivate other El Pasoans by sharing what he has learned throughout his journey of perseverance.
You can find Ryan Medrano’s Instagram page by clicking here: https://www.instagram.com/fast_track182/
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