Derry sprinter Jason Smyth secured a gold medal in the T13 100m final as his bid for a fourth successive Paralympic 100m title ended in stunning success. It is a remarkable sixth gold medal for the Irish competitor.
Algeria’s Skander Djamil Athmani pushed the 34-year old all the way, losing out in a photo finish. Smyth clocked a time of 10.54, one-hundred of a second ahead of Athmami.
Smyth remains unbeaten in the T13 100m at the Paralympians since winning his first gold medal in Beijing in 2008.
Jean Carlos Mina Aponza of Colombia took bronze in a time of 10.64.
🥇 Jason Smyth has won his sixth gold medal after a dramatic photo finish in the T13 100m final #rtesport #paralympics #paraathletics
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 29, 2021
📱 Live updates - https://t.co/yvJaZMisVD…
📺Watch live - https://t.co/3fIvL3Jwwv pic.twitter.com/loDXV7N6Ka
“I know I was up against it. I’ve probably had one of the toughest years in quite a while with injuries,” an emotional Smyth told RTE post-race.
“Nine months ago, I was wondering was this me done. Three months ago I was wondering would I be at the games and be able to be at this level. We got things right and came together right at the right time.
“As I keep saying to everyone, you see me the athlete standing out there competing but it is actually the people around you, the team, that makes it happen.”
President Michael D Higgins sent this message on Twitter this morning in the wake of the win:
“My warmest congratulations to Jason Smyth on winning a fourth successive Paralympic 100m gold medal in Tokyo today – an extraordinary achievement by an exceptional athlete.”
