{{Short description|American para-cyclist (born 1990)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Brandon Lyons | full_name = | nickname = | image = | imagesize = | caption = | nationality = | disability = | disability_class = H3 | sport = Para-cycling | event = | club = | coach = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1990|6|8}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024-paralympics/athlete/brandon-lyons_2487471 |title=Brandon Lyons |work=Paris 2024 Paralympics |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref> | birth_place = Langhorne, Pennsylvania, U.S. | hometown = | retired= | education = Pennsylvania State University | death_date = | death_place = | height = | weight = | pb = | show-medals = yes | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's Para-cycling}} {{Medal|Country|the {{USA}}}} {{Medal|Competition|Road World Championships}} {{MedalSilver|2019 Emmen|Mixed team relay H1–5}} {{MedalBronze|2023 Glasgow|Mixed team relay H1–5}} {{Medal|Competition|Parapan American Games}} {{MedalSilver|2019 Lima|Road race H3–5}} {{MedalSilver|2019 Lima|Mixed time trial H1–5}} {{MedalSilver|2023 Santiago|Road time trial H1–5}} {{MedalBronze|2023 Santiago|Road race H3–5}} }}
'''Brandon Lyons''' (born June 8, 1990) is an American Para-cyclist. He represented the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
==Career== In 2017, Lyons became the first handcyclist resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/brandon-lyons |title=Brandon Lyons |website=teamusa.com |date=August 2, 2023 |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref>
Lyons made his international debut for the United States at the 2019 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships and won a silver medal in the mixed team relay H1–5 event.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usparacycling.org/news/2023/july/27/cody-wills-races-toward-world-championships-debut-alongside-pennsylvania-friend-brandon-lyons |title=Cody Wills Races Toward World Championships Debut Alongside Pennsylvania Friend Brandon Lyons |website=usparacycling.org |first=Paul D. |last=Bowker |date=July 27, 2023 |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref>
Lyons was training to compete at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, however, an infection in his leg that progressed to the early stages of sepsis ended his chances of competing at the Paralympics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/sports/do-not-publish-brandon-lyons-story/77-e0df1e53-8da0-4b49-bc50-eb4a3a2cfd19 |title='If you really put your mind to it, you can actually achieve anything:' Paralyzed athlete inspires First Coast fans |website=First Coast News |first=Heather |last=Crawford |date=February 24, 2020 |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/article271535007.html |title=The inspiring stories of the Miami Marathon, from Paralympic hopeful to Ukrainian refugee |newspaper=Miami Herald |first1=David |last1=Wilson |first2=Susan |last2=Miller Degnan |date=January 29, 2023 |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref>
In August 2023, he represented the United States at the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships and won a bronze medal in the mixed team relay H1–5 event.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usparacycling.org/news/2023/june/26/twenty-two-road-cyclists-set-to-represent-u-s-at-2023-para-cycling-world-championships |title=Twenty-two road cyclists set to represent U.S. at 2023 Para-Cycling World Championships |website=usparacycling.org |first=Kristen |last=Gowdy |date=June 26, 2023 |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usparacycling.org/news/2023/august/13/dana-gaertner-and-lyons-secure-bronze-in-grand-relay-finale- |title=Dana, Gaertner and Lyons Secure Bronze in Grand Relay Finale |website=usparacycling.org |first=Annemarie |last=Blanco |date=August 13, 2023 |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref> In November 2023, he represented the United States at the 2023 Parapan American Games and won a silver medal in the road time trial H1–5 event and a bronze medal in the road race H3–5 event.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usparacycling.org/news/2023/november/26/team-usa-closes-out-the-parapan-american-games-with-podium-sweep-and-five-additional-medals |title=Team USA closes out the Parapan American Games with podium sweep and five additional medals |website=usparacycling.org |first=Heidi |last=Ledermann |date=November 26, 2023 |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref>
On July 8, 2024, Lyons qualified to represent the United States at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/sports/olympics/st-johns-county-handcyclist-compete-2024-paralympics-for-team-usa/77-34d61bb8-5456-4daa-acfc-b6bd9b5aae94 |title=St. Johns County handcyclist to compete in 2024 Paralympics for Team USA |website=First Coast News |first=Heather |last=Crawford |date=July 8, 2024 |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fox43.com/article/sports/olympics/mechanicsburg-paralympics-hand-cycling-brandon-lyons/521-6d6d7107-19b9-4349-9289-d57d83d93a88 |title=Mechanicsburg native's recovery journey leads to first Paralympics appearance |website=Fox43.com |first=Ryan |last=Ye |date=August 12, 2024 |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref>
==Personal life== On May 24, 2014, during a vacation in Ocean City, Maryland, Lyons dove from a pier into shallow water breaking his T5/T6 vertebrae which left him paralyzed from the chest down.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pennlive.com/midstate/2014/05/friends_fundraising_for_cumber.html |title=Friends fundraising for Cumberland Valley graduate who was paralyzed over the weekend |newspaper=The Patriot-News |first=Anna |last=Orso |date=May 29, 2014 |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref> In 2015, he underwent a surgery where they opened his spinal cord and injected 1.2 million stem cells at his injury location, as part of a stem cell clinical trial.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pennlive.com/sports/2017/04/brandon_lyons_paralympics_para.html |title=Former Cumberland Valley athlete paralyzed on vacation to train for 2020 Paralympics |newspaper=The Patriot-News |first=Ryan |last=Baillargeon |date=April 27, 2017 |access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * {{Team USA|new_id=brandon-lyons}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyons, Brandon}} Category:1990 births Category:Living people Category:American male cyclists Category:Cyclists at the 2023 Parapan American Games Category:Medalists at the 2019 Parapan American Games Category:Medalists at the 2023 Parapan American Games Category:Cyclists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Category:Paralympic cyclists for the United States Category:Pennsylvania State University alumni Category:Sportspeople from Langhorne, Pennsylvania Category:21st-century American sportsmen Category:Parapan American Games silver medalists for the United States Category:Parapan American Games bronze medalists for the United States Category:Parapan American Games medalists in cycling Category:People with paraplegia Category:Cyclists at the 2019 Parapan American Games