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Double world records for Canadian athlete at the Para Athletics Grand Prix

Double world records for Canadian athlete Nathan Riech on Canada Day weekend

Canadian T38 runner Nathan Riech set world records over the 800m yesterday and 1,500m today. Riech set the records at the Para Athletics Grand Prix in Berlin.

His times were 1:57.78 for the 800m and 3:57.92 for the 1,500m. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkiZqDTFLIR/?taken-by=nategraywolf

The T38 classification is for athletes with coordination impairments. Runners in this class may appear to have a slight limp when competing. 

Riech was hit in the head with a golf ball at the age of ten, and sustained a brain injury as a result. According to a Youtube documentary, doctors believed that Riech’s injury would prevent him from participating in any sort of sport-activity in the future. Riech beat the odds. 

Riech comes from a family of athletes. His mother is a former Canadian champion in the pole vault, his grandfather played in the NHL, and his uncle was a member of the Canadian national rugby team. With the help of his family, Riech was able to overcome many obstacles and become a double world record holder on the track. 

Riech is a University of South Alabama alumnus, and currently lives in Chandler, Arizona. He’s set to compete tonight at the Canadian National Championships 1,500m. 

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