The Best Para Games Ever
The Paris Paralympic Games have been an occasion of remarkable success for the New York Athletic Club, with all four of the Club’s competing athletes having won medals. At the Games’ conclusion on Sunday (September 8th), the NYAC tally stood as follows:
Gold medals
Grace Norman, PTS5 triathlon
Hunter Woodhall, T62 400m
Silver medals
Tatyana McFadden, T54 100m
Bronze medals
Mikey Brannigan, T20 1500m
Tatyana McFadden, 4x100m universal mixed relay
Hunter Woodhall, 4x100m universal mixed relay
Such a medal haul continues a remarkable tradition of NYAC success at the Paralympic Games. Since London 2012, when the Club’s first Paralympian, judoka Myles Porter, competed at the Games, every NYAC Para competitor has won at least one medal. (Stunningly, with her two medals from Paris, McFadden brought her total to 22, from both summer and winter Games). None, of course, were won without often epic battles, though some proved to be an exercise in dominance. Grace Norman’s outing in the Paris triathlon is an example.
Despite the competition having been delayed by one day due to excessive levels of E. coli in the Seine, Norman was unperturbed. Re-scheduled to Monday, September 2nd, this was the NYAC woman’s second career paratriathlon gold and her fourth overall Paralympic medal. On this occasion, she literally ran away from the field to complete the sprint-distance event (750m swim, 20K bike, 5K run) in a time of 1:04:40. Claire Cashmore of Great Britain was second in 1:05.55, with fellow Briton Lauren Steadman, the Tokyo gold medalist, third in 1:06.45. Despite the intimidating competition, Norman was always in a dominating position, so much so that, as the run neared its end, she held enough of an advantage to allow her to properly savor the victory. “This is incredible,” she stated. “Going from gold to silver [in Tokyo] and back to gold. It definitely made me work hard over these eight years. I am ecstatic. I tried to keep my cool on most of the run, until the last lap, when I knew I had it. I started picking out my family, my husband, my coaches and, when I went by, I gave them a little smile. Having these people here that I didn’t have in Tokyo meant the world to me. It’s incredible.” Norman has not been beaten in paratriathlon competition since 2022.
The Club’s second Paris gold medalist, Hunter Woodhall (husband of fellow NYAC athlete, Olympic long jump champion, Tara Davis-Woodhall) had placed sixth in Monday’s (September 2nd) T64 100m, clocking a time of 10.96; but in Friday's (September 6th) T62 400m, he ensured his place on the podium, taking a superb gold medal in a time of 46.36 seconds. In so doing, the NYAC man turned back the challenge of Germany’s Johannes Floors, the defending champion, world champion and world record holder, who took the silver medal in 46.90. Remarkably, the Davis-Woodhall family now boasts gold medals from both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“This is like a fever dream,” stated Woodhall. “I am so full of emotions right now. It is so incredible. I have been waiting so long and gone through so much stress and worry about achieving this. When I crossed the line, I was like, ‘Am I really first this time or am I still dreaming?'. Tara has taught me a lot about self-affirmation. Before the Olympics, she was writing in her journal, ‘I will be the Olympic champ.’ And ‘I am strong, I am fast.’ I have had my journal here and I wrote in it today, ‘I will be the Paralympic champion.’ And now I am."
Last Sunday (September 1st), Tatyana McFadden placed fourth in the T54 800m final, setting a season’s best mark of 1:43.58, a bitter-sweet result. On Wednesday (September 4th), however, she set things to rights by taking a silver in the T54 100m. The NYAC woman had established herself as a favorite when she set a new Para Games record of 15.55 seconds in the qualifying round. In the final, however, she had to give best to Belgium’s Lea Bayekula, who improved McFadden’s new mark to 15.50 in taking the gold medal. McFadden’s silver, however, brought her career total from summer Paralympic Games to a stunning 20, making her the most be-medalled US track and field Paralympian of all time.
However, the tally did not stop there. On the afternoon of Friday, September 6th, McFadden returned to the track for the 4x100m universal relay, she being a member of a team that also included Hunter Woodhall. For the latter, the sweat on his jersey had barely dried following his 400m victory shortly before. The universal relay is the only relay on the Paralympics schedule and features four athletes, two men and two women, with differing disabilities. Woodhall took second leg duties, while McFadden handled the anchor. A blazing first 300m saw China, Great Britain and the USA enter the home straight with little to choose between them. On that final leg, however, there was no denying the Chinese squad, whose last stage competitor blasted the final 100m to a gold medal-winning world record of 45.07 seconds. In the battle for the minor placings, Great Britain prevailed (46.01), giving the bronze medal position to the USA (47.32) and affording McFadden and Woodhall their second medals of these Games and boosting McFadden’s total Paralympic Games haul to 22. Ironically, had she not been DQ’d for a lane violation in the previous day’s T54 400m, she would have earned another bronze medal.
“In the relay we always push it so hard and go further for each other,” McFadden stated. “It feels incredible and an honor to be part of this relay team. It’s a little bit emotional because this is my final race on the track in front of this incredible crowd.”
McFadden still held hopes of increasing her medal count, as she also contested Sunday’s marathon. In that race, she fought valiantly, but placed seventh (1:53:52), just over 12 minutes down on the winner, Catherine Debrunner from Switzerland.
Back on Friday, Mikey Brannigan, the 2016 Paralympics champion and 2021 fourth placer, wasn’t about to let his NYAC team-mates take all the glory. He made his own spectacular addition to the NYAC trove by claiming a bronze medal in the T20 1500m in a time of 3:49.91. Brannigan assumed control from the gun, taking the field through a first lap of 61 seconds; however, there was nothing he, or anybody else, could do once Great Britain’s Ben Sandilands turned on the afterburners in the final straight. As the Briton charged home in world record figures of 3:45.40, Brannigan engaged in a torrid battle with Italy’s Ndiaga Dieng and Portugal’s Sandro Baessa, the latter crossing in 3:49.46 for silver and Brannigan less than half a second behind in 3:49.91, a delighted bronze medalist.
“I fought really hard for a medal,” he said. “I was happy with how it went. I took it out hard from the start. That’s what I did. I fought really hard and fast to the finish. I’m enjoying Paris. I’m taking every minute and enjoying it.”
As much as Brannigan and his NYAC team-mates enjoyed Paris, so too did the NYAC’s members enjoy following them and cheering for them every step of the way. In real terms, these Paralympic Games were the most successful ever for the NYAC, all due to the valiant efforts of the fantastic foursome: Grace Norman, Mikey Brannigan, Tatyana McFadden and Hunter Woodhall who, in aspiring to and in achieving great things, gave cause for all members to feel unbounded pride.
To re-live all of the action from the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, scroll through the Blog page on this micro site. And start looking forward to Los Angeles 2028.