Daniel Powell's long journey to the Paralympic podium

Dan Powell has been to hell and back during his judo career and finally has a Paralympic medal to show for it.

Powell was introduced to the sport by his dad Terry, himself a Paralympic medallist in the sport, but has twice stepped away to pursue other sports.

He had never finished higher than seventh in his two Games appearances at London and Tokyo prior to reaching the gold medal final at Paris 2024, eventually losing to Brazil’s Arthur Cavalcante da Silva in the -90kg category.

“It’s been an emotional last year, this is 16 years in the making,” said Powell.

“This has been hell for the last 16 years, winning, losing, breaking my body.

“And coming back again and doing that, it means so much.

“One hundred per cent, this justifies coming back. I love fighting, I love judo, I love competing and being able to fly around the world with the support of the National Lottery and the support in this stadium.

“It has been heavy, but at the same time, the most amazing feeling, to be able to do it with my little boy, it’s different level.

“To be able to do that in front of practically a home crowd with the amount of support that has come out, all I could hear was ‘scouser, scouser’.

“I’ve processed it now and I am so proud of myself and the team that have helped me get here.”

Powell made his Games debut in London alongside brother Marc before stepping away from the sport for five years and taking up Para athletics.

A second seventh-place finish at Tokyo 2020 prompted another sports switch as Powell tried his hand at rowing, before returning to judo once again in 2022.

He added: “Judo has absolutely, chewed me up, spat me out and I have come back for more every time.

“I think I am daft at this point. I’m not going anywhere, I absolutely love the sport, from a visually impaired perspective, there is no other sport that is so close to its visually impaired counterpart.

“All we do is grip up and you just crack on and have a scrap like you do on the Olympic side of things.

“That is something you certainly didn’t get in athletics and rowing; you can’t start scrapping in those sports.”

Powell was not the only judoka to make it onto the podium the Champ de Mars, with Chris Skelley winning an emotional bronze in the 90+ category.

Having won gold in Tokyo three years ago, Skelley’s defence of his title came to an end after a battling loss to Turkey’s Ibrahim Bolukbasi.

But he bounced back to get the better of Tony Ricardo Mantolas to take bronze, before revealing just how difficult the build-up to these Games has been.

He said: “It was a tough day. I had a really good semi-final against Bolukbasi and it was so, so close. I was really annoyed that I didn’t win that. In my head it was about pressure, I knew I could beat that guy all day long but the demons come out in your head and make you question yourself. So it’s good to get the win.

“If you had said to me six months ago that I would step onto the mat in Paris, I’d have bitten your hand off. It’s been a very tough six months for me, mentally and physically. I’m so pleased that I’ve come through it a stronger person.

“Everyone who looked after me and kept me going when I wanted to just leave and quit. It’s for everyone.”

Evan Molloy was the third Brit in action in the judo, going out in the quarter-finals before losing his repechage bout.

But Skelley backed the Paralympic debutant to bounce back and star in Los Angeles in four years’ time.

He said: “I’m proud of that little man. I know he didn’t get a medal but he is one to watch. I would put my mortgage on it that he will be a gold medallist in LA. Everyone watch out for Evan Molloy, he is going to be around for a long time.”