The 19-year-old has cerebral palsy which effects the very movements essential in taekwondo, and yet Salinaro is ranked third in the world in the under-58 kilogram K44 class and is the only fighter with the condition to have won a World Championship medal.

She claimed bronze at the 2017 Para Taekwondo World Championships in London.

"Cerebral palsy is like climbing a ladder," she said.

"Will I win every match?

"No.

"Will I train to?

"Of course."

Salinaro was diagnosed with spastic diplegia as a child, meaning her spastic muscles constantly contract, restricting her movement and her flexibility.

It significantly affects her legs, an obvious challenge in a kick-heavy sport.

"It's like the message from my brain to my legs is 'always be tight,'" she said.

"It affects my balance, my tightness of muscles, and leaves me with lots of pain in my back and legs."

The majority of athletes in her class have upper-body impairments, meaning they have far less difficulty using their legs.

"Their legs are fine - they have the flexibility of able-bodied athletes," Salinaro said.

"It's harder [for me] to kick, but it's easier [for me] to block.

"So, I focus on blocking and moving."

Salinaro is the only female Para-taekwondo fighter from the United States with a World Championship medal and she also won bronze at last year's International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) World Games.

Only four fighters from the US will gain a spot at Tokyo 2020 and those ranked second to sixth are currently separated by just 50 points.

Salinaro has said achieving qualification would "mean everything".

"It would mean I did what other people didn't think I could do," she said.