Zak Madell was just 16 when he first tried wheelchair rugby — within a year, he was a Paralympic silver medalist. Now retired after a decorated career, he’s channeling his passion into mentoring young athletes and shaping a more accessible world through inclusive design.
Photos by 2C Media
Zak Madell
Architectural Technologies '19
Accessibility advocate and four-time Paralympian
Zak Madell was 16 years old in 2011 when he jumped into a rugby chair for the first time. He’d tried sledge hockey and wheelchair basketball, but something about the fast, adrenaline-filled, hard-hitting sport just clicked.
“Wheelchair rugby isn’t for the faint of heart, but I loved it.”
And the game loved him back. Within a year, Madell made his debut with the Canadian National Wheelchair Rugby Team at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
“Representing my country for the first time was one of the best moments of my life,” he says. “Lining up shoulder-to-shoulder with teammates and mentors who were like big brothers, hearing the anthem and wearing a silver medal — the emotion was incredible.”
That energy fuelled him through the next four years leading up to the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro. “I still loved it, but rugby had consumed my entire life. It was time for a break.”
Madell remembered the childhood passion he had for LEGO before losing his fingers and legs to a staph infection at age 10. And travelling the globe had given him new insight into accessibility challenges around the world. So, he dove into studying architecture with the goal of making life more accessible, investing the same commitment and enthusiasm in his studies as he had in his sport.
Not long after graduation, an opportunity to make a push for the 2019 Paralympics in Tokyo drew Madell back to rugby, where he stayed until the 2024 games in Paris.
Even with his recent retirement, Madell knows the sport he loves will continue playing a part in his life. Before moving to Victoria, B.C. in 2023, Madell spent two years working with Wheelchair Sports Alberta, encouraging people to try adaptive sports. Today, he mentors and coaches young wheelchair rugby enthusiasts in the Victoria junior program.
“Even after all these years, I still love it. There are so many benefits to sport, and I hope I’ve been able to share with others the same spark that set me up for success.”
Madell is also working toward a future focused on accessible design. He recently completed Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification and is looking forward to applying what he has learned in the 30 countries he visited as an athlete. “Canada is one of the most accessible countries I’ve been to, but there’s still a lot of work we can do to make spaces better for everyone.”
Oki, Âba wathtech, Danit'ada, Tawnshi, Hello.
SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta.