Survivor fan favorite Ryan Medrano claims second silver medal at Paris Paralympics

The tribe has spoken, and once more Ryan Medrano is a winner.

The Survivor 43 alum came in second place in the men's 400-meter T38 event at the Paris Paralympics on Tuesday, just behind fellow American runner Jaydin Blackwell, who posted a time of 48.49 seconds. Medrano's time, 49.74, marked a new personal best.

The medal represents the second silver for Medrano at this year's Paralympic Games; he previously won silver in the men's 100-meter T38, where he also placed behind world-record holder Blackwell. Medrano, who was born with mild cerebral palsy, will next compete in the T38 men's long jump on Wednesday.

At the Paralympics, the T38 classification for running and jumping is one of several categories designated for athletes with coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia, and athetosis, which are often a result of cerebral palsy.

Medrano is having better success at the Paralympics than he did on Survivor, though he was a fan favorite on the reality competition series. Known for a persistent spirit and being really, really good at catching fish, Medrano ultimately placed ninth when he competed on the show in its fall 2022 season.

Medrano told Entertainment Weekly in his exit interview that he was surprised to learn after being on Survivor that he was an inspiration to people. "Honestly, that is one of the greatest things, and it was unexpected to me because, like them, I haven't met many people with cerebral palsy, or, in my case, mild cerebral palsy," he said. "And hearing how many people were inspired, how many people or parents were like, 'My child was born with CP and seeing you do the crazy things you do on TV is so inspiring. It's really gonna uplift us and help us keep going.'"

He continued, "I responded to every single person that reached out to me. I had more than a hundred messages about people being inspired, and it was jaw-dropping… It was great to see, and I was able to actually ask people how they're doing and try to give some tips of how my mom approached therapy for me. And it felt like, not that I felt alone, but I felt different than everybody else. And to have so many people have that same disability or the same mindset of 'This is what's happened to me, but I'm gonna keep pushing' — it was very uplifting for me and I had nothing but positivity come from the show after being back."

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Medrano isn't the only Survivor contestant to qualify for the Games. Fellow season 43 alum Noelle Lambert, who lost her left leg in a moped accident in 2016, is also competing in this year's Paralympics as a long jumper for Team USA.