"That was the best day of my life," he recalled.

"I will never forget that day. I wish every day was like that and I'd be a happy man."

On his Paralympic debut in the F20 shot put in front of 80,000 people at London's Olympic Stadium, Hodgetts' opening throw of 15.62 metres would prove enough for victory, but he wasn't finished there.

With all six of his throws good enough to claim bronze, he increased his lead to 16.24m and finally 16.29m to add a world record to his gold medal.

Asked his memories of that balmy day in the English capital, the 33-year-old Tasmanian reflected: "I remember I was injured. I tore a tendon in my elbow and was in a lot of pain so really had nothing to lose.

"I think I blew them away in the third round and broke two world records. I got the nickname Hulk for life after that."

Hodgetts' second Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro yielded a bronze medal, another learning experience and the appetite to return, albeit a year late, in Tokyo.

"It did not quite go to plan in Rio," he said. "Training did not go well. I was training by myself, but I've moved on since then.

"London was a better experience but Rio was still a challenge and I learned a lot. I probably relied on too many people instead of just worrying about myself. I trained just as hard but did not work my problems out."

The Launceston-born Newstead Athletics product, who is based in Melbourne and trains with Ringwood Athletic Club, remains just as excited about the big stage in 2021 as he was nine years ago.

"I'm going to be so fired up it will feel like my first Games. I've got nothing to lose. I'm out there representing the best nation in the world and I just love putting those colours on.

"I'm the first Tasmanian to be a three-time Paralympian. I've been training hard and this is another opportunity to get a Paralympic title which is pretty awesome so I'll be going 110 per cent and anything can happen on the day.

"I took the opportunity I had and I've been pretty successful and enjoyed every moment. Putting on Australian colours is priceless. Not many people get that opportunity and I want to grab that."

Hodgetts, whose final is on Tuesday at 8.05pm, said competition had increased dramatically in his event (for athletes with an intellectual impairment) in the time he has been competing.

The world record has been advanced to 17.29m, ironically also set in the London Stadium at the 2017 World Para Championships by Malaysian Muhammad Zolkefli on a day when Hodgetts took bronze with 15.96.

"It's a lot stronger now. The world has progressed but I just worry about myself and if I have a good day, I can go out there and get a really good performance.

"Plus it's a straight final, no mucking around, so I don't have to worry about qualifying."