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Jason Smyth

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Jason Smyth
MBE
Personal information
NationalityIrish
Born (1987-07-04) 4 July 1987 (age 37)
Derry, Northern Ireland
Height177 cm (5 ft 10 in)
WebsiteJasonSmyth.ie
Sport
SportRunning
Disability classT13
Event(s)100 metres, 200 metres, 60 metres
Medal record
Men's para-athletics
Representing  Ireland
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 100 m T13
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 200 m T13
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 100 m T13
Gold medal – first place 2012 London 200 m T13
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m T13
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo 100 m T13
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Assen 100 m T13
Gold medal – first place 2006 Assen 200 m T13
Gold medal – first place 2013 Lyon 100 m T13
Gold medal – first place 2013 Lyon 200 m T13
Gold medal – first place 2015 Doha 100 m T13
Gold medal – first place 2017 London 100 m T13
Gold medal – first place 2017 London 200 m T13
Gold medal – first place 2019 Dubai 100 m T13
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2005 Espoo 100m – T13
Gold medal – first place 2005 Espoo 200m – T13
Gold medal – first place 2014 Swansea 100m – T12
Gold medal – first place 2014 Swansea 200m – T12
Gold medal – first place 2018 Berlin 100m – T13
Gold medal – first place 2018 Berlin 200m – T13
World Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Bollnas 60m – T13

Jason Smyth MBE (born 4 July 1987) is an Irish retired[1] sprint runner. He competes in the T13 disability sport classification as he is legally blind, with his central vision being affected by Stargardt's disease;[2] he also competes in elite non-Paralympic competition. As of July 2014, Smyth holds T13 World records in the 100m and 200m events.[3][4]

He was selected to represent Northern Ireland at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.[5] Deterioration in his vision meant that he was reassigned to the T12 classification in 2014, but he was subsequently reclassified back to T13 in 2015.[6]

Career

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He won two golds for Ireland at the 2008 Summer Paralympics setting records at the Men's 100 metres T13 and the Men's 200 metres T13, which led some Irish news sources to compare his feat to that of Usain Bolt, who achieved a similar feat at the 2008 Summer Olympics[7] In 2015 the International Paralympic Committee's website also compared him to Bolt.[8] Comparisons to Bolt have also been made by some non-Irish news sources such as CNN.[9]

Smyth made history as the first Paralympian to compete at an open European championships, qualifying for the semi-finals of the 100 metres. Smyth ran 10.43 seconds, finishing 4th in his heat.[10] He just missed out on the final by finishing 4th in semi-finals in a time of 10.47 seconds.[11] Smyth was selected to represent Northern Ireland at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, but had to withdraw from the team due to a back injury.[12][13]

He won a bronze medal with the Irish relay team in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 2011 European Team Championships.

Smyth hoped to compete in both the Paralympics and the Olympics in 2012. Although he ran 10.22 for the 100m in May 2011, this was 0.04s short of the A time needed to secure a place in the Olympic Games.[14][15]

At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Smyth won Heat 1 of the 100m final breaking the World Record in a time of 10.54 seconds before breaking the record again in the final where he defended his Paralympic title in a time of 10.46 seconds.[16] This final was also marked as the fastest Paralympic 100 metres in history. Smyth equalled his Beijing achievement by winning gold in the Men's T13 200m with a world record time of 21.05 seconds.[17]

At the 2016 Summer Paralympics, Smyth won Gold in the 100m final. The Irishman clocked 10.64 seconds as he finished 0.14 ahead of Namibia's Johannes Nambala.[18]

At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Smyth again won Gold in the 100m final. He clocked 10.53 seconds as he finished 0.01 ahead of Algeria's Skander Djamil Athmani.[19]

In 2017 the International Paralympic Committee's website described him as "the world's fastest Paralympian".[20] In 2015 it had described him as "the fastest para-athlete of all time",[8] while Britain's BBC described him as "the world's fastest ever Paralympian" in 2016.[21]

In December 2023 he was announced in the line-up for Dancing with the Stars Ireland season 7. On Saint Patrick's Day 2024, despite receiving low scores throughout the competition, Smyth and his dance partner Karen Byrne were announced as the winners of the show.[22]

Personal life

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Jason is from Eglinton. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[23]

Smyth was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to Paralympic athletics and the sporting community in Northern Ireland.[24][25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Six-time Paralympic champion Jason Smyth of Ireland retires undefeated". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Smyth's Olympic quest won't curb his Paralympic career". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  3. ^ "IPC Athletics World Records – Men's 100m". Archived from the original on 21 October 2014.
  4. ^ "IPC Athletics World Records – Men's 200m". Archived from the original on 24 April 2014.
  5. ^ "Jason Smyth could face Usain Bolt in Glasgow". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  6. ^ O'Rourke, Steve (21 October 2015). "Double Paralympic champion Jason Smyth gets massive boost ahead of tomorrow's World Championships". The42.
  7. ^ "Irish team heading home". RTÉ Sport. 19 September 2008. Archived from the original on 21 October 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ a b "Jason Smyth, the Usain Bolt of the Paralympic Games, out to win sixth gold at Rio 2016". International Paralympic Committee. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2021. Irishman, the fastest para-athlete of all time, in Brazil to help celebrate one year until the Games.
  9. ^ Matias Grez (9 September 2016). "Paralympics day 2: Jason Smyth emulates Bolt, controversy on the track". CNN. Retrieved 28 August 2021. Emulating Bolt? Plenty was written about Usain Bolt's historic "triple-triple,", but one Irish sprinter matched the Jamaican by winning his third consecutive Paralympic gold. ... The Irishman is also reigning Paralympic champion in the 200m but won't have the opportunity to win a "triple-double", after the International Paralympic Committee opted to drop the event from the Games.
  10. ^ Haughey, John (28 July 2010). "Paralympian Smyth misses out on place in 100m final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  11. ^ Foley, Cliona (28 July 2010). "Athletics: Smyth makes Euro history". Irish Independent. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  12. ^ "Smyth to miss Commonwealth Games". BBC. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  13. ^ Athletics NI Statement: Smyth Withdraws from Commonwealth Games Archived 24 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ O'Riordan, Ian (8 April 2012). "Time now to be making those London times, folks". Irish Independent. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  15. ^ "Paralympics 2012: Irish sprinter Jason Smyth thanks Tyson Gay for help". The Guardian. Press Association. 30 August 2012. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  16. ^ "The Sports - Athletics - London 2012 Paralympics | Channel 4". Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  17. ^ "Smyth doubles up in record style". The Irish Times.
  18. ^ Bailey, Ryan (9 September 2016). "Sensational Jason Smyth storms to fifth Paralympic gold medal in Rio". The42.ie. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  19. ^ "Paralympics 2020: Jason Smyth wins sixth gold after dramatic T13 100m final". RTÉ Sport. 29 August 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  20. ^ "Jason Smyth". International Paralympic Committee. 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2021. Smyth, the world's fastest Paralympian, claimed his seventh world title at London 2017, winning double sprint gold to continue his unbeaten run in world-class Para athletics which now stands at over a decade.
  21. ^ John Haughey, BBC Sport NI (19 April 2016). "Jason Smyth: Paralympic star insists Rio Olympic dream is still alive". BBC. Retrieved 28 August 2021. Smyth, the world's fastest ever Paralympian.
  22. ^ "Champion Paralympian Jason Smyth crowned winner of Dancing With The Stars". Journal. 17 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  23. ^ Trent Toone (25 July 2012). "Running on faith: Mormon who just missed Olympics will compete at Paralympic Games". Deseret News. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  24. ^ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N25.
  25. ^ "New Year Honours 2022: Jason Kenny receives a knighthood and Laura Kenny made a dame". BBC Sport. 31 December 2021.
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