Honor Michael Brannigan’s Gold Medals

Senate Resolution No. 3081 BY: Senator FLANAGAN CONGRATULATING Michael Brannigan upon the occasion of capturing two Gold Medals at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, England WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to extend its full recognition and grateful tribute to the athletes of New York State who have dedicated their purposeful lives to athletic achievement and proudly represented their great State and Nation in Paralympic competition; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to congratulate Michael Brannigan upon the occasion of capturing two Gold Medals at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, England; and WHEREAS, Michael Brannigan, affectionately known as Mikey, was born to be a runner; he went from crawling to running at the tender age of one; within the next year, he was officially diagnosed with autism; and WHEREAS, At age seven, Mikey Brannigan joined the Rolling Thunder Special Needs Program, a running, walking, and wheelchair racing team serving challenged individuals; at his first practice, he sped around the track, passing several seasoned athletes; and WHEREAS, Running completely changed Mikey Brannigan's life for the better; when he was just 12-years-old, he traveled with the Rolling Thunder team to Washington, D.C. for the Marine Corps 10k race, where he finished 22nd out of thousands of runners; and WHEREAS, While a student at Northport High School in Northport, New York, Mikey Brannigan was an exceptional student-athlete; he not only excelled at running cross country, but also earned an extraordinary 3.3 GPA and successfully passed all of his New York State Regents exams; and WHEREAS, On November 16, 2013, Mikey Brannigan took second place at the New York State Cross Country Meet; two weeks later, he won the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) New York regional 5,000 meter race at Bowdoin Park in Wappinger Falls, New York, with a remarkable time of 15:29; and WHEREAS, Mikey Brannigan's talent reached the national level during his senior year, when he competed in invite-only fields against the country's best high school runners at the Prefontaine Classic, the Adidas Dream Mile and the Brooks PR; and WHEREAS, Today, under the expert guidance of coach Sonja Robinson, Mikey Brannigan competes professionally for the New York Athletic Club, while taking classes at Suffolk Community College; and WHEREAS, In October of 2015, Mikey Brannigan represented America in the T20 1,500 meter run at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar; he won the thrilling race by a fraction of a second over the defending world champion; later at the meet, he won a Silver Medal in the T20 5,000 meter run with a time of 15:50.99; and WHEREAS, On August 5, 2016, Mikey Brannigan competed in an elite field at the Sir Walter Miler meet in Raleigh, North Carolina; he finished seventh with an amazing time of 3:57.58, becoming the first person with a T20 Paralympic classification to break the 4:00 barrier; he also owns the T20 Paralympic world record in the event after finishing in 3:48.85 last summer at the United States Paralympic National Championships; and WHEREAS, Mikey Brannigan's stellar season culminated with a Gold Medal in the 1,500 meter race at the 2016 Rio Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro; he led the race from beginning to end, winning by four seconds in 3:51.73; and WHEREAS, At the recent World Para Athletics Championships, Mikey Brannigan continued to impress the running world; he easily captured Gold Medals in the 1,500 meter and 800 meter races events, and a Silver Medal in the men's 5,000 meter; and WHEREAS, After his historic World Para Athletics Championships triple win, Mikey Brannigan hopes to qualify for the United States Senior team for the 2020 Olympics; and WHEREAS, A role model for all, Mikey Brannigan is a talented, dedicated athlete who has brought honor to his community and his family, coaches, and friends who have encouraged his progress and commended his hard work; and WHEREAS, A gifted athlete, Mikey Brannigan's character and his many achievements stand as example and inspiration to all who would aspire to extraordinary success; and WHEREAS, Many will only dream of competing on the world stage; through his hard work and tenacious spirit, Mikey Brannigan has not only made his dream a reality, he has also given just cause for his family, community and State to be proud of his achievements; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to congratulate Michael Brannigan upon the occasion of capturing two Gold Medals at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, England; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Michael Brannigan.