TOKYO, Japan — Coming off a huge day, in fact the biggest medal day of U.S. Para-Track and Field ever, what was next for Team USA?
Well… The athletes wearing the Stars and Stripes ended the night at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo with just one memorable performance from their athletes. That came from Hagan Landry, first time medalist in the Shot Put F41.
“[I am] euphoric,” he said after winning his first Paralympic medal. “I can’t describe it. My feet aren’t even on the ground right now.”
“To do this, especially at a time of tragedy back home in Louisiana, where they are about to get hit by Hurricane Ida. I just hope everybody got to see this performance, and I have to credit that to the state of Louisiana – this is for them.”
He classified behind the Uzbek athlete Bobirjon Obonov by only 18 centimeters, with the measure of 13.88 meters, that is also a new American record.
But overall, for those who love track and field, it was an uneventful night, definitely not a day that will remain in the history book.
The night started with the Men’s Javelin Throw F64, where Michael Gallardo represented the United States for the first time at the Paralympic games.
“It means a lot, because in the end, it’s more than just Team USA. It’s about my fellow veterans, my fellow people in the military right now,” Gallardo said after his race.
“And [it is] just showing them that they could do anything that they want to.”
Gallarado’s opponents were particularly strong as more than one athlete broke the previous world record, showing an incredibly competitive field. He missed three of the six attempts available, and he finished his race with the measure of 54.72 meters, not too far from his best performance of 55.00 meters.
The night continued with the Men’s 100m T35. For Team USA there was Zackery Marshall who finished in seventh position in 13.08 seconds. A new world record was set in this race too.
The best shot there was for a medal was from Cassie Mitchell in the Women’s Discus Throw F53. She finished in fourth position with the measure of 14.16 meters, missing two of the six attempts available during the race. She finished outside the podium by only 21 centimeters.
Following, in the last final of the night, in the Men’s 100m T64, the three Americans did not rank in great positions. Jarryd Wallace, Jonathan Gore and Hunter Woodhall finished in six, seventh and eight positions with the times of 11.04 seconds, 11.08 seconds and 11.28 seconds, respectively.
The night continued with the heats of the Women’s 400m T20. Brianna Clark finished her heat in first position in 56.07 seconds, setting a new Paralympic record, and securing herself a spot in tomorrow’s final.
And finally, in the last race, the heats of the Women’s 1500m T54, Tatyana McFadden and Susannah Scaroni qualified for the final, both winning their respective heats, and the latter, dominating the race entirely from start to finish. Jenna Fesemyer did not make the final, finishing in six position in her heat and missing the final by more than one second.
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