| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 4 July 1987 Derry, Northern Ireland |
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| Residence | Eglinton, Northern Ireland | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Running | |||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 100m and 200m | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Jason Smyth (born July 4, 1987, Derry, Northern Ireland) is a visually impaired Irish Paralympian. His central vision is affected by Stargardt's disease.[1] He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon. [2]
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[3] View pictures from the homecoming parade[4] organised by the people of Eglinton to mark Smyth's achievement.
Smyth made history as the first Paralympian to compete at a European championships, qualifying for the semi-finals of the 100 metres. Smyth ran 10.43 seconds, finishing 4th in his heat.[5] He just missed out on the final by finishing 4th in semi-finals in a time of 10.47 seconds.[6]