Eligible T45/T46 and T11/T12 Para Athletes to compete in Boston for spots on Team USA for the 2020 Paralympic Games
BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association and United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) today announced that the 124th Boston Marathon will serve as the 2020 U.S. Paralympic Team Selection Event for the marathon distance. The top two U.S. men and women across the finish line that meet the U.S. Paralympic Track & Field qualifying standards in select ambulatory classifications will be nominated to the U.S. Paralympic team for next summer’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. The 124th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 20, 2020, and will mark the 35th consecutive year that John Hancock will serve as principal sponsor.
“The B.A.A. is honored to host the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials Marathon for ambulatory Para athletes,” said Marla Runyan, two-time U.S. Olympian and Paralympian and Para Athlete Manager for the B.A.A. “The Boston Marathon has long been a race where Para athletes come to compete and showcase their athletic excellence. The road to the Tokyo Paralympic Games comes through Boston, and we couldn’t be more proud.”
Athletes with Para athletics classifications T45/T46 (arm impairment) and T11/T12 (vision impairment) will be eligible for spots on Team USA, provided that they meet the National Team A Standard or Marathon Minimum Event Standard as put forth by the USOPC. U.S. athletes must have their World Para Athletics license and classification to be eligible for selection to the U.S. Paralympic Team by the USOPC.
“We are very excited for the Boston Marathon to serve as our U.S. Paralympic Team Trials for our ambulatory marathon athletes,” said Julie Dussliere, chief of Paralympic sport of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. “With Boston's commitment to Para athletes and storied history with the marathon, we know our athletes will have a world-class experience as they look to punch their tickets to Tokyo.”
The selection event element provides added excitement to the launch of the Boston Marathon’s Para Athletics Divisions and Adaptive Programs at the 2020 race. For the first time in Boston Marathon history, prize money and awards will be presented to classified ambulatory Para athletes which includes competitors with vision impairment (T11, T12, T13); lower limb impairment (prosthesis T61-T64); and upper limb impairment (T45/T46). The total prize purse for the Para Athletics Division for ambulatory athletes is $16,500 to be distributed equally among the top 3 male and female finishers in each classification category.
The 2020 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials for wheelchair athletes occurred earlier this year at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, where Daniel Romanchuk, Tatyana McFadden, and Susannah Scaroni earned automatic spots on Team USA. All three will compete in the 2020 Boston Marathon.
More details regarding the 2020 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials can be found through USOPC.org.
The 124th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 20, 2020 and will mark the 35th consecutive year that John Hancock will serve as principal sponsor. Held annually since 1897, the Boston Marathon is the oldest consecutively run marathon in the world. A field of 31,500 participants will take part in the 124th running of the Boston Marathon.