Team USA Named for 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London

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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