Mikey Brannigan won the Parapan American Games 1500m on Monday night in Toronto, Canada, to help lead the United States to an impressive 10 medal count on the first day of competition.
The race was a tough contest for the recent Northport, N.Y. graduate, as rain conditions delayed the meet for an hour. Once the meet was back on schedule, Brannigan prevailed by just two one-hundredths of a second over Luis Arturo Paiva of Venezuela in 4:04.32.
GOLD for @MikeyBrannigan in his international track debut! Men's T20 1500m in 4:04.32 #TO2015 #TeamUSA
-- U.S. Paralympics (@USParalympics) August 11, 2015Brannigan is the T-20 world record holder in the 1500m, per his solo 3:48.85 effort at the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field National Championships in June in St. Paul, Minn.
With his first international medal, the 18-year-old Brannigan becomes the odds-on favorite for gold next year at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Brannigan will train and compete with the NYAC next year.
