Michigan Paralympic Updates: Grewe Golden in High Jump Competition
9/1/2021 10:30:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Men's Track & Field, Olympics
Tuesday, Aug. 31: Track and Field
The University of Michigan added another Tokyo gold medalist to its ranks as first-year medical student Sam Grewe of the U-M Adaptive Sports and Fitness Program claimed the Paralympics men's high jump T63 classification title for Team USA in dramatic fashion Tuesday night (Aug. 31) at Olympic Stadium.
Grewe -- who lost a portion of his right leg to bone cancer as a seventh-grader nearly a decade ago and underwent a procedure known as rotationplasty to reconnect his ankle in reverse to his femur to create a strong joint for use with a prosthetic -- won the competition with back-to-back third-and-final attempt clearances at 1.86m (6-1.25) and 1.88m (6-2). Silver medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu of Indiana (T42) also cleared 1.86m on his third-and-final attempt but could not get above the bar at 1.88m.
An early miss and subsequent second-attempt make at his opening height of 1.73m (5-8) kept Grewe lower in the standings in the opening stages of the competition, though he recovered nicely with first-attempt clearances on his next three heights through 1.83m (6-0). He was one of only three jumpers remaining in the competition as the jumping got underway at 1.86m, in position for the bronze medal due to that early miss if none of the three advanced further. It came down to third attempts for all three men, with first Thangavelu then Grewe getting up and over to remain in the competition, while Sharad Kumar (T42) of India missed and settled for the bronze.
Now in position for the silver medal -- which he won at the Rio Games in 2016 -- Grewe needed to clear a superior bar to Thangavelu to come home with the gold. That is precisely what he did, getting over on his last attempt at 1.88m.
Grewe then raised the bar to 1.91m (6-3.25) for three attempts at his own T63 classification world record of 1.90m (6-2.75) from the Parapan American Games in 2019. Though he could not make it over, he still added an Olympic gold to a career that includes two World Championships gold medals and the 2016 Olympic silver.
• Men's High Jump T63: 1. Sam Grewe (1.88m)
Andy Potts (right) and Kyle Coon (Getty Images)
Saturday, Aug. 28: Triathlon
Former Wolverine men's swimmer Andy Potts participated in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics Saturday morning (Aug. 28) in Japan as the guide for American Kyle Coon, who finished fifth in 1:03:00, just under two minutes behind the gold medal winner.
Coon competed in the PTVI1 classification, which is athletes with vision impairments (Class 1 for athletes with the most severe impairment). The Paralympic triathlon consists of a 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike and five-kilometer run.
Competing at Odaiba Marine Park, Coon posted a 12:09 time in the swimming leg to sit in fourth place. He and Potts made a move with a strong 29:19 effort on the bike and were second behind Team USA's Brad Snyder and guide Greg Billington heading into the final leg. Coon dropped to fourth after the first running lap before settling into fifth, finishing with a 19:28 run split.
Snyder led from start to finish to take the gold medal (1:01:16). Spain's Hector Catala LaParra (1:02:11) finished second, and Japan's Satoru Yoneoka (1:02:20) placed third.
• Men's Triathlon PTVI: 5. Kyle Coon with guide Andy Potts (1:03:00)
