Tuesday, November 21st, 2023.- Evan Correll, from the United States, won the T54 class 5,000 meters race at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games with a time of 11’05”75, leading a U.S. "trifecta" in the event. 

The T54 category is for athletes who practice wheelchair athletics and have full use of their upper bodies with a moderate or severe disability in leg movement or the absence of legs. 

Correll raced neck-and-neck with his compatriot Miguel Ángel Jiménez-Vergara, who was favored with the best time of the season. However, in the final moments, the now Parapan American champion pulled ahead enough to secure the victory. 

"I feel great, excited to be running for the first time here in Chile with the United States team and achieving this great triumph. The crowd was insane, they support so much, I love the people here," commented the winner. 

Correll, who was born with caudal regression syndrome, a condition that affects the development of the lower half of the body, now dreams of reaching the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. 

Jiménez-Vergara, a former youth world champion (2019) in this distance, took home the silver medal with a time of 11’06”73, while the bronze medal went to another American, Phillip Croft, who clocked 11’26”86. 

Written by Marcelo López-Anaís Farías; translated by Paulette Bertín / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Ph: Javier Valdés / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport