He can run a mile in under four minutes, has broken a world record and, as a high school athlete, was courted by over 200 colleges.
Advertisement
“He moves his body like classical music,” Joaquim Cruz, a former Olympian and Brannigan’s coach, told “NBC Nightly News.” “It’s effortless.”
Brannigan was diagnosed with autism when he was a toddler.
“He went from crawling to running, and he’d be running into the walls,” Brannigan’s mom, Edie, told “NBC Nightly News.” “He had hurt himself.”
When he was a little older, his parents enrolled him in Rolling Thunder, a running club for kids with special needs, and Brannigan’s life changed.
Advertisement
At 17, he was considered one of the top 10 high school runners in the United States. Back then, his mile time was 4 minutes, 7 seconds. Prestigious universities like Duke, Georgetown and Stanford tried to woo him.
“I just want to tell people like, ‘Yo, stay tuned.’ He has shocked us all so many times, we’re unshockable now.”
- Edie Brannigan, Mikey's mom
Brannigan had hoped to go to a Division I school to run track, but because his autism hinders his ability to succeed in standardized testing, he is currently attending community college and trains full time with the New York Athletic Club.
Despite the setback, Brannigan is thriving.
During a meet on Aug. 5, he ran a mile in 3:57:58, making him the first T20-classified athlete (which means he has an intellectual impairment) to shatter the four-minute barrier, according to Runner’s World.
Advertisement
In 2015, he won gold in the mens’ 1,500-meter T20 at the International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championship in Dona, Qatar.
“I love to work hard and have fun. And just beat my personal best and keep improving to that next level,” he told NBC in 2014.
Edie told Runner’s World that her son hopes to make it into the 2020 or 2024 Olympic Games.
“My experience with Mikey, anything could happen,” Edie said in an interview published on TeamUSA.org. “I just want to tell people like, ‘Yo, stay tuned.’ He has shocked us all so many times, we’re unshockable now. Anything could happen. He could make that leap to the Olympics and win. That’s my prediction.”
CORRECTION: A previous version misstated the length of the race that Michael Brannigan will be running. We regret the error.
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.