Former Jags running star has eyes on prize
2014 Windsor High School graduate Branden Walton hasn’t wavered in his quest to land a spot on the United States Paralympics track team, maintaining a dedicated training regimen that could lead him to the World Championships in Tokyo in 2020.
Diagnosed with Macular Degeneration at the age of four, Walton has vision in the range of 20/200-20/400. The affliction has fueled a desire to compete, whether on the high school track and cross country trails or against similarly afflicted athletes. For the past several years he’s risen through the national ranks to become one of the top runners competing in the T-13 classification.
Since the age of 14, Walton has competed in distances ranging from 100 to 1,500 meters, shattering age group records in several events on the national stage.
The Windsor native is coming off a great year on the Paralympics circuit, becoming a junior world champion in the 800 meters and 1,500 Meter silver medalist in Nottwil, Switzerland as a member of team USA’s Junior World team in 2017.
A short time later he was invited to become a resident athlete at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, where he’s lived and trained under the watchful eye of coach Joaquin Cruz for the past 10 months.
This year Walton has balanced online studies with Santa Rosa Junior College with a serious training schedule, targeting the US standards in the T-13 class, with the goal of becoming a member of Team USA’s national squad. Although Walton has forgone most competitions to focus on training, he recently competed at the Desert Challenge/US Nationals in Tempe, Arizona, followed by the Angel City Games held at Drake Stadium on the UCLA campus last weekend.
