Double delight for Derry man Jason Smyth at Para Athletics World Championships

Ireland’s Jason Smyth has struck gold with a sensational run in the T13 200m at the Para Athletics World Championships in London, adding to the 100m title he won on Sunday night.

It was a stunning performance by the 30 year-old Derry sprinter who stormed to victory with a season’s best time of 21.40 seconds, finishing well ahead of Namibia’s Johannes Nambala (21.81 seconds) in second and Poland’s Mateusz Michalski (21.86 seconds) in third at the Queen Victoria Olympic Park.

Tonight’s win brings Smyth’s impressive gold medal tally at World Championships to seven to add to his five Paralympic golds.

After a solid start out of the blocks Smyth pulled away from the rest of the field out of the bend to secure Ireland’s fifth podium finish of the Championships.

Speaking after the race the City of Derry AC athlete was delighted to secure yet another world medal: “I think as time goes each major championship will get a little bit more special as my daughter gets older.”

He continued: “Delighted to be done and I get to relax now. It’s obviously incredible to be here after the 100m on Sunday night where I didn’t feel like I could relax and enjoy it but now that I'm done with a second gold medal, it’s incredible really.”

Irish Team Manager James Nolan added: “Jason got a good start and had a strong first 100 metres with a great transition off the bend to win by .4 of a second. Exceptional consistency here in London and over the past ten years. Jason is role model for us all.”