Michael Brannigan

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Michael Brannigan
Personal information
Born (1996-11-12) November 12, 1996 (age 27)
Huntington, New York, United States
Sport
SportRunning
Event(s)1000m, 1500m, Mile
Medal record
Paralympic athletics
Representing  United States
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 1500m T20
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Paris 1500m T20
Parapan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2015 Toronto 1500m T20

Michael Brannigan (born November 12, 1996), commonly known as Mikey Brannigan, is an American track and field athlete.[1]

Career[edit]

He was not allowed to compete at the collegiate level because he could not meet National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) academic standards, due to Autism.[2]

He competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in the men's 1500-meters race, winning a gold medal.[1]

Personal life[edit]

Brannigan was born on November 12, 1996, in East Northport, New York,[1] to parents Edie and Kevin Brannigan. Both parents said they knew of his disability at 18 months of age, and he was diagnosed with Autism at age 2.[2] He was nonverbal until age 5.[3] He began running from a young age.[2] He attended Northport High School, accomplishing an extremely successful distance running career at the High school level. Despite his disability, he still saw academic success, taking and passing Algebra I against the recommendations of his school. Mikey is currently coached by Sonja Robinson. Sonja began coaching Mikey in 2016[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Michael Brannigan". Team USA. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d "Mikey Brannigan Wasn't Allowed to Compete in College. Now, He's Going for Gold in Rio". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  3. ^ "The Unstoppable Star: Mikey Brannigan". runnersworld.com. January 25, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.