Barcelona Bound
EGLINTON SPRINTER, Jason Smyth qualified for next summer's Senior European Championships in Barcelona having smashed his 100 metres personal best in spectacular fashion at the National Under-23 Track & Field Championships in Tullamore on Sunday.
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. That is the plan,” declared Jason.
“The 200 metres or the 400 metres at the Olympics are probably the more realistic races for London. I am still a bit off the qualification mark for them, but I am still young and there is loads of development and improvement to achieve before then.”
Smyth’s coach, Stephen Maguire believes the Eglinton man has the potential to qualify for the final of the European Senior Championships and looking further ahead, the London Olympics, providing of course he manages to stay clear of injury.
“Things are going well for Jason at the minute,” said the Strabane man. “He’s now qualified for the mainstream European Senior Championships and that time puts him ranked 7th in his age group in Europe.
“He will probably need to be sub 10.36 to make the final of the European Championships next year and that’s a real possibility. In my opinion he’s capable of making the 2012 Olympics, both the Paralympics and the main games. Of course he will need a lot of luck and will need to keep as injury free as possible.
“He’s training with the likes of Tyson Gay - who’s next to Usain Bolt - and Veronica Campbell-Brown and while they might seem to be on a different planet to Jason, he’s proven that he’s not out of his depth.”
Maguire, who is a friend of Lance Brauman, coach to Gay and Campbell-Brown, believes the intensive training in Florida is beginning to reap its benefits.
“He has integrated nicely with the likes of Tyson Gay and I’ve been corresponding with his trainer, Lance Brauman and I think we’ve been working well together. They have world class facilities and world class trainers and you can see the benefit.
“Jason is getting physically stronger. He’s nowhere near the strength he needs to be a world class sprinter but we’re working gradually towards that.”
Smyth is ranked fourth fastest in Ireland in the 100m event and Maguire is confident he can challenge Paul Brizzel for the Northern Ireland 100m record by the end of the year.
“Paul Hession is ranked number one in Ireland and Paul Brizzel holds the N.Ireland record at 10.36 seconds so hopefully by the end of the year we’’ll be able to challenge that.
“Jason goes to the European Under-23 Championships in July 16th and that’s another stepping stone. Hopefully he can make the final there and then it’s not much difference between the U23s and the Seniors.
“He’s running in Belgium this weekend. It’s a good European Senior meet in Belgium where he’s ranked 5th or 6th and then he’s got two weeks of a break in between the U23 Championships. He’s taking nice steps at the minute towards hitting his target.”
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Weather for Derry
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 14 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
