Mike Brannigan puts his name in the track record book again
East Northport's Mike Brannigan gets set for the boys 2-mile run at the New Balance Indoor Track Meet at the New Balance Armory on Sunday March 15, 2015. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
The records keep falling for Northport's Mike Brannigan. The senior, who was named Newsday's Athlete of the Year for the indoor/outdoor track season, showed once again why he is one of the best high school distance runners in the country this weekend.
Brannigan, who is autistic, won the 1,500 meters in a world-record time of 3 minutes, 48.85 seconds in the T20 category at the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Championships at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, Sunday.
The world record is in the T20 category, which is designated for athletes with intellectual impairments, according to Sports Illustrated's website. It was previously 3:54.07, set by Poland's Rafal Korc in 2003.
The record came a day after Brannigan ran a 9:00.59 two-mile, good for 12th place, at the Brooks PR Invitational in Shoreline, Washington.
SI named Brannigan its high school Athlete of the Month in February.
Brannigan placed third in the Dream Mile at the adidas Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium on Randalls Island June 13, running 4:03.18, a personal best. After high school, Brannigan will compete as a member of the New York Athletic Club and is considered a favorite at next summer's Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the SI website said.
The record was hardly the first Brannigan conquered this season. He toppled the New York State outdoor two-mile mark in May, winning the 3,200 meters at the 48th annual Glenn D. Loucks Games in 8 minutes, 42.92 seconds. That converted time broke the record of 8:48.11, set by Josh McDougal of Peru, New York, in 2004.
He also set the Suffolk mile record, running a 4:05.78 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, in May. The time broke Sayville's Brian Dalpiaz's mark of 4:09.1 in 2003. Brannigan's mile was the fourth fastest in New York State history, coach Jason Strom said.
LI Votes 2024: Election wrap up Long Islanders went to the polls to vote in the race for president and a host of local races and propositions. Here's what we know and where things stand.
LI Votes 2024: Election wrap up Long Islanders went to the polls to vote in the race for president and a host of local races and propositions. Here's what we know and where things stand.
