Brannigan Nominated For Paralympic Athlete Of The Year

You can vote from Michael Brannigan for Male Paralympic Athlete of the Year through Oct. 30.

By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com

With his successful career as a Paralympic athlete on the rise, it’s no surprise that East Northport native Michael Brannigan has been nominated for Male Paralympic Athlete of the Year.

The United States Olympic Committee announced last week the 26 finalists for the 2017 Team USA Awards, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes throughout the year.

Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams through Oct. 30 at TeamUSA.org/Awards.

Brannigan is one of five Paralympic athletes nominated for Male Paralympic Athlete of the Year.

Specializing in track and field, Brannigan has competed against able-bodied runners and won the men’s 1,500-meter at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational. He improved his own world record in the 5,000-meter with a time of 14:09.51 Mt. SAC Relays before capping the season with three world championships medals, which include two gold medals. These medals include the 800-meter, the 1,500-meter, and the 5,000-meter. He completed the year ranked number one in the men’s T20 classification at all three distances.

The six award winners will be announced during the 2017 Team USA Awards, presented by Dow, at the Royce Hall in Los Angeles on Nov. 29.