Jason Smyth Spearheads Lisburn Event
Helping Irish Sportspeople with a Disability to Discover their Paralympic
Potential
Paralympics Ireland are heading north
to bring their Permanent TSB NextGen athlete recruitment campaign to Lisburn
Racquets Club, Lisburn on June 24th for the third instalment of four regional
events that aim to discover the next generation of Irish Paralympians.
Permanent TSB NextGen is a one-day
regional opportunity for young athletes interested in para sport to discover
their paralympic potential through a range of physical challenges and exploring
different Paralympic sports.
Northern Ireland can claim the honour
of being home to Ireland’s greatest Para athlete, Jason Smyth who is our
athlete ambassador for the Lisburn NextGen event. The Derry native represented
Ireland at four Paralympic Games (Beijing (2008), London (2012), Rio de Janeiro
(2016) and Tokyo (2021), and remained unbeaten throughout a career which began
at the 2005 European Championships.
Smyth has less than 10% vision due to
an eye condition known as Stargardt’s Disease which he was diagnosed with at
the age of eight. His focus however has never been what he can’t do rather,
what is possible when the right attitude is cultivated to motivate yourself
against the odds.
He has also competed in
non-Paralympic athletics winning two Athletics Ireland National Championships
in the 100m and representing Ireland at two European Athletics Championships
where he reached the semi-finals as well as the World Athletics Championships, making
him the first ever Paralympian to compete in those events. Smyth also
represented Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games in 2014. He has run 100m
in 10.22 seconds making him the 3rd fastest 100m sprinter in Irish history and
the fastest in Northern Irish history.
With a final haul of 21 gold medals
across multiple international competitions he has been described by his peers
as one of the most technically gifted sprinters alive. Smyth announced his
retirement from sport in April this year and has taken up the role of Strategy
Manager with Paralympics Ireland ensuring that his vast experience will
continue to positively influence para sport in Ireland beyond his exploits on
the track.
Speaking about Permanent TSB NextGen
Smyth noted the significance of recruitment campaigns like Permanent TSB
NextGen: “It’s vitally important to the next generation of para-athletes in
Ireland. The fact that we’re able to bring it to the four different regions
within the country really opens the accessibility of it for people with disabilities
in those local areas to get involved and to find out what are the sports
available to them in their area. But also, to get a sense of where their
strengths lie by participating in the different tests on the day. It’s an
exciting time and the future of para sport certainly looks bright with
initiatives like this being rolled out with such great support from the
Paralympics Ireland team and Permanent TSB.”
Permanent SB is proud to be title
sponsor of the Irish Olympic Team and Irish Paralympic Team. They are the first
title sponsor to partner with both teams during an Olympic and Paralympic
cycle, as well as being Paralympic Ireland’s first-ever title sponsor.
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