Northport's Mikey Brannigan falls short in bid for another gold medal
Michael Brannigan leads the pack during the men's 1,500-meter - T20 Final on Day 10 of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at Olympic Stadium on Friday in Tokyo, Japan. Credit: Getty Images/Lintao Zhang
Mikey Brannigan’s bid for a second Paralympic gold medal fell short Friday morning in Tokyo.
Brannigan, the 24-year-old Northport native who starred at Northport High School in the mid-2010s, finished fourth in the T20 1,500 meters in three minutes, 58.43 seconds. Great Britain’s Owen Miller won gold in 3:54.57.
The T20 classification features athletes with intellectual impairments. Brannigan has autism.
The title defense was five years in the making, one longer than Brannigan wanted. The Paralympics, and Brannigan’s hopes for the second gold, were slated for 2020 and postponed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Friday morning marked the finish to a somewhat frustrating road, filled with initial disappointment, waiting, and a whole lot of training. Brannigan turned his ankle two days before the qualifiers in June, but still ran well enough to make the U.S. team.
Brannigan won his first gold medal in the same event at the 2016 games in Rio, becoming the first American runner with autism to take the top prize in that event.
"One thing that is very easy for me today is to be thankful," Brannigan posted on his Facebook page hours before his race. "Thankful for all the support many people have given me. Thankful for the love my family and friends give me. Thankful that I rediscovered that I love running -- no matter what happens in a race."
Brannigan’s national profile in both the running and autism community began to grow in high school. He was featured on NBC News, Sports Illustrated and ESPN as the story of a boy with autism, who was one of the best high school runners in the country, began to grow.
His reach expanded after winning the gold medal in 2016. Before COVID emerged, Brannigan traveled the country, speaking with families with autistic children, encouraging them to follow their dreams despite any obstacles that might arise.
"Since winning Gold in Rio I have met many people who have said I inspire them," Brannigan wrote in the Facebook post. "When I think about what some of them have accomplished -- I am the one that is inspired -- motivated and determined to accomplish my dreams."
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