Michael Brannigan

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

Michael Brannigan
Personal information
Born (1996-11-12) November 12, 1996
Huntington, New York, United States
Sport
SportRunning
Event(s)1000m, 1500m, Mile
Medal record
Paralympic athletics
Representing  United States
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place2016 Rio de Janeiro1500m T20
World Championships
Silver medal – second place2023 Paris1500m T20
Parapan American Games
Gold medal – first place2015 Toronto1500m T20

Career

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

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
  1. "Michael Brannigan". Team USA. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  2. "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.
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