SIMON COLLINS reports

The 21 year-old double Paralympic gold medallist romped home to take the title and set a new Irish Under-23, 100 metres record in an impressive 10.42 seconds, securing his place at the 2010 European Outdoor Championships a year ahead of schedule!

Having required a time of under 10.45 seconds to qualify for next year’s Championships, the City of Derry Spartan was well within that margin, becoming the fourth fastest Irishman over 100 metres.

And the former Limavady Grammar School student expects to improve on his new PB when he travels to Lithuania for the Under-23 European Championships next month.

“It went very well for me on Sunday, I just seem to be chipping away at my times,” said Smyth last night. “I’m really enjoying it at the minute, I’m just concentrating on running fast and we’ll see where it takes me. I still feel there’s more I can take off my times.

“Conditions were good at Tullamore, the wind was nicely with us but it’s not only good conditions you need, you still obviously have to execute the race well and thankfully I got everything right.”

The visually impaired sprinter won the 100m and 200m gold at the Beijing Paralympics last summer, setting four world records in the process, however, he insists he is enjoying competing even more this season as there is a lot less pressure on his shoulders.

“There’s no pressure this year,” he continued. “Last year there was pressure and expectations on me to win things at the Paralympics but this year is a lot lower key for me.”

High Profile Training Partners

Having spent two months in an intensive training programme in Clermont, Florida alongside world 100m champions Tyson Gay and Veronica Campbell-Brown, the warm weather training appears to be working wonders for the Derry man as he continues to set the Irish athletics scene alight.

“We were in America for three months this winter and we are pretty much planning to be there all of next winter. We would come back home for Christmas and then train back out in Florida from mid-January straight through to May, before returning for the European season.

“I’m getting the experience I need to compete at the highest level and next year that training will help me. When it comes to training with the ‘big boys’ some would think you would be miles behind them but I’ve been running well in training and have managed to keep up with them.

“Obviously when it comes to an actual race it would be a different story but it gives you a lot of confidence to be training with world champions.”

While the upcoming European competitions are his immediate goal, Smyth insists that the London Olympics and Paralympics in 2012 are what he is ultimately preparing for and he is edging closer to qualification.

"London is the target at the minute. I want to compete in the Olympics and the Paralympics at those games.