Tomorrow, Mikey Brannigan will toe the line to race in the T-20 1500m at the Paralympics Games in Rio de Janeiro. The performance will mark the 19-year-old's first time racing at the Paralympic Games, and will provide an excellent conclusion to his breakthrough year. In 2016, he won a world championship title and set a world record and several personal bests on the track.
Brannigan, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, won the Paralympic Track and Field World Championships last October when he beat Iran's Peyman Nasiri Bazanjani by 0.03 seconds. He trains with the New York Athletic Club, and owns the T-20 world record, 3:48.85, which he set at the Triton Invitational in April. He continued his success at the Penn Relays, where he ran 14:33 to finish second in the 5K.
Most recently, Brannigan stunned the crowd at Sir Walter Miler when he accomplished the ultimate middle-distance feat: breaking four minutes in the mile.
Brannigan finished seventh in a pro field on August 6 with a time of 3:57.58 to shatter the four-minute-mile barrier. The performance converts to a 3:40.05 1500m, which would significantly lower his world record in the event. It also indicates he is in perfect shape to break his own world record once again when he competes at the Paralympic Games.
.jpg
)
