Smyth blazing a trail to 2012

IRISH paralympian Jason Smyth has the talent to compete in the London Olympics, his coach, Stephen Maguire, claimed last night.

The 21-year-old City of Derry visually impaired athlete aims to prove his talent at the Woodies DIY national track and field championships at Morton Stadium today when facing David Gillick and Paul Brizzell in the 200m.

He goes into action on the back of a new pb for 100m of 10.53 set in Tallinn last month which makes him second only to Beijing-bound Paul Hession in the seasonal rankings.

Smyth is also heading to China, for the Paralympic games and, as world record holder in his section, is a medal favourite for both the 100m and the 200m. “He does not compete in Beijing until September 13 and I have been holding him back on account of that,” Maguire, a former national director of coaching, said. “But I had hoped he would have run a couple of 200m races by now. Unfortunately he was unable to do that for various reasons. His form at the minute is superb and I would like to think we are on target for Beijing. He needs a few 200m races and he is about to get them now.”

The Derry man has a fine record in sprinting. Though he never competed at under-age level in national competition he was never beaten over either 100m or 200m at schools level. Now his coach has mapped out his future at 200m and 400m pointing out that he does not have the physique for the 100m. “He is tall enough (5’11”) but those guys are built like tanks,” he said. “Jason is leaner — more like Pietra Mennea — and he has both the speed and strength to mix the 200m and 400m. I would see him competing in both the Olympic Games and the Paralympics in London. Just think of the 4x400m squad we’ll have then!”

Another star schoolboy, Brian Gregan (Tallaght), could steal some of the limelight tomorrow if he adds the senior title to the schools and junior titles he won earlier in the season.

Gillick will not be defending this title while former champion and record holder, Paul McKee, is in Barcelona in search of Olympic qualification.

All this clears the way for an exciting contest between Gregan and his relay squad colleagues, Brian Murphy from Cork and Brian Doyle who was born in Scotland of Irish parentage.

Of the Olympians in action, sprinter Paul Hession will be the star attraction when he lines out for the 100m.

Holder of all the national records from 60m (indoors) to 300m he ran the second fastest 100m by an Irishman — second only to his own national record (10.18 secs) — and the fastest ever run in this country at 10.21 secs when outsprinting a world class field at Cork City Sports last Saturday. Now he returns to the track where he set the 200m record (20.30 secs) last year and, if conditions are reasonable, he can rewrite his 100m record.

Three of the four Olympic walkers will be in action. Robert Heffernan who holds all the Irish men’s walking records up to and including 20k will be defending the 10k title. He returned on Thursday night from his training camp at Font Romeau but Colin Griffin, 50k record holder, who joined an elite band of walkers when he broke 40 minutes for 10k last year, has remained on at the training camp leaving Jamie Costin to challenge the Corkman.

Although the distance may be well short of her specialty — the 20k — Olive Loughnane will be untouchable in the 5k walk. It is understood that Olympic marathon representative, Martin Fagan, is contemplating a double-up at 5,000m (defending) and 10,000m while Alistair Cragg won’t decide on an event until he returns to Dublin today after last night’s Golden League meeting in Paris.

Eileen O’Keeffe beat 70 metres three times at last year’s nationals before going on to finish sixth in the hammer throw at the world championships in Osaka — Robert Heffernan was sixth in the 20k walk — and she will get the programme under way at noon in the new throwing circle.

Derval O’Rourke had a poor start to the 100m hurdles but finished impressively in Cork last Saturday and will be hoping to get it all right tomorrow when she defends her title.

However Joanne Cuddihy will not be defending her 400m title. She has been training and doing rehab with Gerard Hartmann after injury as she prepares for the Olympics. The 400m title — as in the indoor championships — will be contested by Brona Furlong, Wexford, Marian Andrews (Togher) and Elaine McCaffrey, Belfast.