Fifty athletes and three guides were selected for Team USA competing at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships today by U.S. Paralympics, a division of the United States Olympic Committee. The event being held in London from July 14-23 will be the first major international track and field competition since the Paralympic Games Rio 2016 where Team USA won 42 medals.
"Coming off one of our most successful Paralympic performances in recent Games history, the team representing our country at world championships is a true reflection of the how strong our track and field program is," Cathy Sellers, U.S. Paralympics Track & Field High Performance Director said. "With a mix of stars who have already established themselves as the best in the world and a new generation of young and exciting talent, we are thrilled to showcase our talent on the world stage again in London."
The U.S. will send an experienced team to London with 43 Paralympians on the roster. Twenty of the athletes wearing the red, white and blue this summer combined for 38 of Team USA’s 42 medals in Rio. Headlining the U.S. team are multi Games-medalists and world record-holders Tatyana McFadden (Clarksville, Maryland), Lex Gillette (Raleigh, North Carolina), and Mikey Brannigan (East Northport, New York). McFadden, who won six medals in Rio, will return to world championship action after missing 2015’s edition with sights set on owning every world record in the women’s T54 class.
"I’m so happy to be representing Team USA and returning to London this summer," McFadden said. "The London Games is where I won my first gold medals on the track so it’s a really special place to me. After a difficult stretch since Rio, I can’t wait to go full speed and compete on the world stage again against the best at world championships."
Six athletes will return to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in hopes of repeating the success they had at the 2012 Games like gold medalists Ray Martin (Jersey City, New Jersey) and Jeremy Campbell (Perryton, Texas).
A crop of young Rio medalists including Deja Young (Mesquite, Texas) and Sam Grewe (Middlebury, Indiana) will look to defend their world titles from Doha, Qatar while Alexa Halko (Williamsburg, Virginia) and Hunter Woodhall (Syracuse, Utah) are seeking to convert their world silver medals to gold. Several newcomers will be also making their international debut, including Jaleen Roberts (Spokane, Washington) and Isaac Jean-Paul (Grayslake, Illinois) who set a high jump world record last weekend at the U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships.
Team USA won 39 medals at the 2015 world championships in Doha. This year’s event is already making history as the first time that the World Para Athletics Championships and the IAAF World Championships will be held in the same city. London will host approximately 1,300 athletes contesting 213 medal events across 10 days of competition.
2017 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field World Championship Team
*Denotes U.S. Paralympian
# Denotes Rio 2016 medalist
Name
Hometown
Classification
Men
*#David Blair
Eagle Mountain, Utah
F44
*#Michael Brannigan
East Northport, N.Y.
T20
Jack Briggs
Fort Collins, Colo.
T47
*#David Brown
St. Louis, Mo.
T11
*#Jerome Avery
Lemoore, Calif.
Guide Runner
*Jeremy Campbell
Perryton, Texas
F44
Josh Cinnamo
Lakeville, Minn.
F46
*AJ Digby
Bowling Green, Ohio
T43
*Tobi Fawehinmi
Arlington, Texas
F47
*#Lex Gillette
Raleigh, N.C.
T11
*#Wes Williams
Visalia, Calif.
Guide Runner
*#Sam Grewe
Middlebury, Ind.
F42
*Tyson Gunter
Pocatello, Idaho
F13
*Erik Hightower
Glendale, Ariz.
T54
*#Gianfranco Iannotta
Garfield, N.J.
T52
*Desmond Jackson
Durham, N.C.
T42
*Josiah Jamison
Vance, S.C.
T12
*Rolland Slade
Spring Valley, Calif.
Guide Runner
Isaac Jean-Paul
Grayslake, Illinois
F13
*Ayden Jent
Indianapolis, Ind.
T35
*#Raymond Martin
Jersey City, N.J.
T52
*Michael Murray
Nashville, Tenn.
T20
*David Prince
Marietta, Ga.
T44
*Austin Pruitt
Spokane, Wash.
T34
*Nick Rogers
Lisbon, Maine
T43
*Daniel Romanchuk
Mount Airy, Md.
T54
*#Scot Severn
Caro, Mich. / Army
F53
*Brian Siemann
Millstone, N.J.
T53
*Jerome Singleton Jr.
Irmo, S.C.
T44
*#Roderick Townsend
Stockton, Calif.
T46
*Jarryd Wallace
Athens, Ga.
T44
*#Hunter Woodhall
Syracuse, Utah
T43
*Regas Woods Sr.
Ocala, Fla.
T42
Tanner Wright
Abeline, Texas
T46
Marshall Zackery
Ocala, Fla.
T35
Women
*Femita Ayanbeku
Whitman, Mass.
T44
*Scout Bassett
Laguna Niguel, Calif.
T42
Kaitlin Bounds
Russellville, Ark.
T20
*#Breanna Clark
Los Angeles, Calif.
T20
*#Kym Crosby
Yuba City, Calif.
T13
*#Alexa Halko
Williamsburg, Va.
T34
*Kelsey LeFevour
Chicago, Ill.
T53
*#Cheri Madsen
Union, Neb.
T54
*#Chelsea McClammer
Richland, Wash.
T53
*Hannah McFadden
Clarksville, Md.
T54
*#Tatyana McFadden
Clarksville, Md.
T54
*#Amanda McGrory
Kennett Square, Pa.
T54
*#Cassie Mitchell
Atlanta, Ga.
F51
*#Rachael Morrison
Farmington Hills, Mich.
F51
Jaleen Roberts
Spokane, Wash.
T37
*Susannah Scaroni
Urbana, Ill.
T54
*Taleah Williams
Norfolk, Neb.
T47
*#Deja Young
Mesquite, Texas
T46
For more information, please contact:
Brianna Tammaro
U.S. Paralympics
Tel: 719-866-2068
Email: Brianna.Tammaro@usoc.org
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