ROCHESTER — Tyler Gunnarson of St. Charles has had a whirlwind of activity lately and he is going to stay busy in the near future.
The 17-year-old Gunnarson, who is a junior at St. Charles High School, is an
He recently competed in the 2023 World Abilitysport Games and has a pair of big meets on the horizon, and one which could help check off one of his major goals.
In December, Gunnarson was one of just 22 athletes from the United States competing in the World Abilitysport Games in track and field. The meet was held in Thailand.
“It was my first international meet so it was pretty exciting,” Gunnarson said. “It was definitely different because it wasn’t the U.S. It was a good experience.”
Despite going up against the best competition he had ever faced, Gunnarson still was able to excel on the world stage. He was able to place in the top four in six different events.
He finished first in the 5,000-meter wheelchair event, second place in both the 100 and 1,500, third in 200 and 400 and took fourth in the 800.
“It was (a nice feeling) going against the best of the best in the world,” Gunnarson said. “It’s good knowing I can compete with the top guys. And it makes me work harder as well.”
Gunnarson was in Rochester on Monday to receive an honor at the Rochester Sports Banquet. He was named the
Adaptive Athlete of the Year for 2023,
the second time he has won the award.
This past summer he set the U.S. national adaptive record in the 200-meter dash at the Hartford Nationals. Gunnarson completed the sprint in 27.99 seconds.
Besides the 200 national record, Gunnarson won national age-group titles in the 100, 800, 100 special and the 800 medley relay at the Hartford Nationals. He also finished runner-up in the 400, 5,000, discus and javelin.
Gunnarson will soon be competing in two big national events with his eyes on an even bigger meet. He will take part in the U.S. Paralympic Nationals in March. He will then compete in the U.S. Paralympic Trials in July. Both events are scheduled to take place in California.
“I’m looking forward to the Paralympic Nationals and Trials,” he said.
An elite finish in the U.S. Paralympic Trials could land him a spot in the Paralympics in Paris in late August and early September.
“It has always been a dream of mine to make it to the Paralympics one day and getting the opportunity to go to trials is just one step closer to reaching that goal,” he said. “No matter how I do at trials, it will be an amazing experience and accomplishment for me just to be able to go and compete at the trials.”
At the U.S. Paralympic Trials, Gunnarson will be competing in five different races: The 100, 400, 800, 1,500 and the 5,000. There is no 200-meter race in the Paralympics.
If he lands a top-three finish in any event, he could earn a berth in the Paralympics.
“You have to finish top three, but the team is chosen by your percentage of the National A standard,” he said. “National A standard is the best third-place finish from the top meets in the past few years. So, you could meet the standard and finish top three at the trials, but not make the team if others in different events had a higher percentage of the A standard.”
He is currently doing much of his training indoors. He has a machine, called a roller, which is basically a treadmill for a racing chair.
“I have it in my basement so I don’t have to train all the time outdoors during the winter,” he said.
