18 July 2007
SMYTH
DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM BLADE RUNNER
Triple
World Paralympic record-holder Jason Smyth is drawing inspiration from the
exploits of South African Oscar Pistorius.
Dubbed
the Blade Runner on account of the J-shaped prosthetics he wears,
Pistorius has been allowed to compete in open competition over the
weekend.
The much
hyped showdown over 400 metres between Pistorius and Olympic champion
Jeremy Wariner turned out to be a farce in the cold and wet of the Don
Valley Stadium in Sheffield at the weekend.
Running in the Norwich
Union Grand Prix, Wariner seemed to stumble out of the blocks after the
gun fired and decided to take no further part in the contest.
The race
continued with the South African struggling both with the quality of the
opposition and the conditions.
Despite
picking up the pace over the second half of the race Pistorius crossed the
line in seventh and last place. He was later disqualified for running out
of lane.
Two days
earlier he had perfomed better at the Golden League fixture in Rome
running 46.90 seconds for second place in the B race.
The
South African was born without shin bones and had his legs amputated below
the knees as an infant.
But the
Cheetah Feet prosthetics he wears are currently under scrutiny by the IAAF
as to whether they gave him an unfair advantage over able-bodied athletes.
Smyth,
himself, is no stranger to mixing open competition with disabled sport.
Despite suffering limited vision since birth he recently finished
runner-up in the 100 metres at the Northern Ireland Senior Championships.
"I knew
he wasn't going to be able to mix it yet with the best in the World," said
Smyth.
"But
what he is doing is good for Paralympic sport in that he is gaining it a
lot of notice and recognition.
"Personally, I am drawing a lot of encouragement because if he can do it,
I know I can too."
Smyth
who has been sidelined by injury for over a month does not think he will
be fit for this weekend's National Senior Track and Field Championships in
Dublin.
"I'm
still getting treatment for a hamstring, it's still niggling me and I
can't see that I'll be ready for Saturday," said Smyth who took bronze in
the 100 metres at the meeting last year.
There
will, however, be plenty of local interest at the meeting. Gary Murray
defends his 5000 metres title while other hopefuls will be looking to
impress on the national stage.
City of Derry had
11 athletes taking part in the All Ireland Track & Field Championships
achieving 4 medals & several personal bests .
Results
Jamie Devine 1st
BoysU14 Long Jump 5.64m PB
Jamie Devine 1st
U14 Boys Shot Putt 12.80m PB
Marcus
Christie 2nd U17 Boys
3000m
9 mins 03 secs
Malcolm Peoples
2nd U18 Boys Triple Jump 12.40m PB
Sunil Mc Allister
4th Boys U15 100m
Igho Diegbe 5th
U18 Boys Triple Jump 12.01m PB
Emmett Gallagher
7th Boys U15 High Jump 1.55m
Lyndsay
Reilly Finalist U14 Girls Discus 22.17 m PB