Worlds, Parapan Ams medalists shine on second day of 2024 National Championships

Athletes who found success at the international level in 2023 found the top of the podium on the second day of the 2024 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships, presented by Toyota. The penultimate day of competition at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. Sac) saw a multitude of national champions crowned who also won medals at either the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships or the 2023 Parapan American Games.

Athletes are competing for roster spots on the 2024 world championships team, which will represent the United States at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships this May in Kobe, Japan. The top 30 U.S. athletes from this weekend’s national championships will earn the right to compete in Kobe.

Setting an Americas Record in the men’s long jump T63 was 2023 high jump world champion Ezra Frech (Los Angeles, Calif.), who hit a career-best mark of 6.64 meters to win his third national title of the weekend. Frech, seeking to defend the world record he set en route to his high jump title last summer, also won the high jump and 100-meter T63 gold medals to wrap his meet.

Competing for the first time in javelin a day after making his high jump debut, 2023 world championships long jump silver medalist Derek Loccident (Oklahoma City, Okla.) capped a hat trick of national titles. Loccident posted a best mark of 47.05 meters as he works to expand his event repertoire.

Already a sprinter and a long jumper, Loccident has shown promise in the high jump T64 and javelin F64 events this weekend.

“It went better than I expected,” he said. “Yesterday went well as well with personal bests in the high jump and 100. Being able to perform the best that I could and exceeding expectations has been absolutely wonderful. Being able to do all of these events, it brings more joy to me being able to do this. I feel like a kid again.”

Earning his second title of the weekend was 2023 world champion Jaydin Blackwell (Oak Park, Mich.), who outlasted 2023 Parapan Am champion Ryan Medrano (Savannah, Ga.) and four-time Paralympic medalist Nick Mayhugh (Manassas, Va.) in the men’s 400-meter T38.

The 20-year-old Blackwell has been on the rise since making his international debut last summer, where he won two worlds gold medals. He said his goal is to repeat as world champion before he aims to make his first Paralympic team.

“I feel great,” he said. “I’m really happy with that race. We’ve been training really hard even though I was indoors all winter. I haven’t been doing as much 100-meter work because it’s been cold, so I’ve been really preparing for this 400.”

Two-time Paralympic champion Breanna Clark (Los Angeles, Calif.) won her third career world title in the women’s 400-meter T20 competition over the summer, and repeated as national champion in today’s competition.

Clark has not lost a major 400-meter T20 competition since prior to the Paralympic Games Rio 2016.

“I felt great, I’m just doing what I trained for,” she said. “I want to go for a world record in Japan and three-peat in Paris.”

Leading the way in the men’s wheelchair field, Miguel Jimenez-Vergara (Lawrenceville, N.J.) captured three national titles on the second day of racing to bring his total to five on the weekend. The wins come just months after Jimenez-Vergara won his first career Parapan Ams title.

The first American male and female frame runners to compete at a world championships took to the track today for their 100-meter competitions, where Sayers Grooms won the mixed-class event in 18.29. She was followed in second by Michael Anwar, who was the top men’s T72 competitor.

Both Grooms and Anwar made their world championships debuts in Paris last summer. Grooms’ event didn’t go as planned when she lost a shoe in the opening meters of her race, but she said today’s competition gave her confidence moving forward.

“It just shows that my work is paying off and that last year was just a fluke,” she said. “It shows me that I can still be at the top.”

Other 2023 worlds medalists earning national titles today include Beatriz Hatz (Lakewood, Colo.) in the women’s 100-meter T64, Samantha Heyison (Adamstown, Md.) in the women’s discus F44, Brittni Mason (Cleveland, Ohio) in the women’s 100-meter T46, and Michael Brannigan (Northport, N.Y.) in the men’s 1500-meter T20.

Follow U.S. Paralympics Track & Field on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates and results from the weekend.

Medalists – March 16, 2024

Men’s Long Jump T36
1. Samuel Winter

Men’s Long Jump T37
1. Simon Detmer

Men’s Long Jump T38
1. Ryan Medrano

Men’s Discus F56
1. Johnnie Williams

Men’s Javelin F38
1. Cody Jones

Men’s Javelin F63
1. Desmond Jackson

Men’s Javelin F64
1. Derek Loccident
2. Derek Smith

Women’s 100m 53
1. Chelsea Stein

Women’s 100m T54
1. Autumn Fought
2. Aerelle Jones
3. Isabelle Hogness

Men’s 100m T54
1. Miguel Jimenez-Vergara
2. Tyler Gunnarson
3. Jacob Allen

Men’s 100m T45
1. Rayven Sample

Men’s 100m T47
1. Korban Best
2. Parker Harvey

Women’s 100m T46
1. Brittni Mason

Women’s 100m T47
1. Sae Tsuji (JAP)

Women’s 100m T34
1. Elicia Meairs
2. Lauren Fields
3. Maria Velat

Men’s 100m T52
1. Nicholas McCoy
2. Will Hamilton

Men’s 100m T53
1. Robert Hunt
2. Aidan Gravelle
3. Wyatt Willand

Women’s 100m T44
1. Annie Carey

Women’s 100m T62
1. Lily Rosenthal

Women’s 100m T64
1. Beatriz Hatz
2. Sydney Barta
3. Chloe Chavez

Men’s 100m T63
1. Ezra Frech
2. Desmond Jackson
3. Ruben Marin

Men’s 100m T72
1. Michael Anwar
2. Jody Putman

Women’s 100m T72
1. Sayers Grooms

Women’s 100m T71
1. Peyton Maniago

Women’s 100m T35
1. Brianna Salinaro
2. Delaney Nolin
3. Madeline Gustafson

Women’s 100m T37
1. Taylor Swanson
2. Michelle Swanson
3. Janie Richardson

Men’s 100m T36
1. Conner Pierce

Women’s 100m T36
1. Jordan McGuire

Women’s 100m T38
1. Catarina Guimaraes

Women’s Javelin F46
1. Danielle Kanas

Women’s Javelin F62
1. Lily Rosenthal

Women’s Javelin T63
1. Lindi Marcusen
2. Noelle Lambert

Women’s 1500m T20
1. Kaitlin Bounds

Women’s 1500m T13
1. Elizabeth Wade

Women’s 1500m T54
1. Autumn Fought
2. Isabelle Hogness

Men’s 1500m T13
1. Joel Gomez X
2. Noah Scherf
3. Caleb Howard

Men’s 1500m T38
1. Liam Stanley (CAN)
2. Leo Merle

Men’s 1500m T46
1. Tahmar Upshaw

Women’s Discus F37
1. Margaret Beaudoin
2. Madison Hahs
3. Sophia Soriano

Women’s Discus F40
1. Michelle Kazuba

Women’s Discus F41
1. Charlotte Bolton (CAN)

Mixed 400m Wheelchair
1. Dustin Stallberg
2. Jacob Allen
3. Aidan Gravelle

Mixed 200m Ambulatory
1. Kevan Hueftle
2. Austin Spalla
3. Sydney Barta

Men’s Long Jump T46
1. Roderick Townsend

Men’s Long Jump T63
1. Ezra Frech
2. Desmond Jackson

Men’s Long Jump T64
1. Trenten Merrill
2. Derek Smith

Men’s Discus F11
1. Antoine Craig

Men’s Shot Put F55
1. Mohamed Traore (GUI)

Men’s 1500m T20
1. Michael Brannigan
2. Jordan Duran
3. Jonathan Duran

Women’s Discus F44
1. Samantha Heyison X
2. Arelle Middleton

Women’s Discus F62
1. Lily Rosenthal

Women’s Discus F64
1. Jessica Heims X
2. Alicia Guerrero
3. Chloe Chavez

Men’s 1500m T52
1. Nicholas McCoy

Men’s 1500m T53
1. Wyatt Willand
2. Aidan Gravelle

Men’s 1500m T54
1. Miguel Jimenez-Vergara
2. Dustin Stallberg
3. Tyler Gunnarson

Men’s 200m T44
1. Mathurin Gagnon

Men’s 200m T64
1. Kevan Hueftle

Women’s 400m T13
1. Kym Crosby
2. Alaina Gott

Women’s 400m T20
1. Breanna Clark

Women’s 400m T47
1. Sae Tsuji (JAP)

Women’s 400m T37
1. Madison Hahs
2. Janie Richardson

Women’s 400m T38
1. Catarina Guimaraes

Men’s 400m T45
1. Rayven Sample

Men’s 400m T46
1. Tahmar Upshaw

Men’s 400m T47
1. Yudai Suzuki (JAP)

Men’s 400m T53
1. Aidan Gravelle
2. Robert Hunt
3. Wyatt Willand

Women’s 400m T53
1. Chelsea Stein

Women’s 400m T54
1. Autumn Fought
2. Aerelle Jones
3. Isabelle Hogness

Women’s Shot Put F40
1. Michelle Kazuba

Women’s Shot Put F41
1. Charlotte Bolton (CAN)

Men’s 400m T38
1. Jaydin Blackwell
2. Ryan Medrano
3. Nick Mayhugh

Men’s 400m T52
1. Nicholas McCoy

Men’s 400m T54
1. Miguel Jimenez-Vergara
2. Jacob Allen
3. Dustin Stallberg

Mixed 4x100 Universal Relay
1. USA B (McCrady, Spalla, Hahs, Hogness)
2. USA A (Winter, Rosenthal, Richardson, Jones)
3. USA C (Merle, Gustafson, Grewe, Velat).

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