JASON SMYTH HAS been handed a huge boost ahead of the Paralympic Athletics World Championships in Doha as the sport’s governing body has decided to reclassify the Irish athlete.
Smyth, the reigning double Paralympic and world champion, and Paralympic world record holder at 100m & 200m has been reclassified from the T12 class back to the T13 class.
At last year’s European Championships Smyth was moved to the T12 class following a classification review.
However having now been reinstated as a T13 athelete — the class in which he has competed for his entire career — the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have acknowledged that a retest may have been the best course of action in 2014.
A spokesperson from the IPC said:
“When Jason Smyth was classified ahead of the European Championships in 2014 he was found to be on the borderline of the T12 and T13 classes.
“All of the results of the assessment placed him in the T12 class. He was however placed under review status. The review was conducted this week and his results were again borderline but all were in the T13 class so he was moved back.
“Vision impairment tests can be influenced by a number of environmental characteristics. As last year’s result came as a surprise to all concerned, the IPC acknowledges that in retrospect it should have asked Smyth to undergo a second classification at that time.”
Smyth himself said he was pleased with the decision.
“It was a surprise to me last year that I had been moved to a T12 and was difficult to deal with, so I’m pleased that my status as a T13 has been clarified and I won’t need another review until 2019.
“However it is disappointing that I definitely won’t have the chance to defend two of my Paralympic titles in Rio as the T13 200m has been removed from the list of Rio medal events by the IPC.
“That said at least I can put all my energies in the 100m and continue to try and run faster and bridge the gap between Paralympic and able bodied sport.”
Smyth is one of a nine strong Irish team competing in Doha. Discus thrower and World Championship debutant Niamh McCarthy gets the Irish challenge underway on Friday afternoon in her final with Smyth and fellow double Paralympic champion Michael McKillop both in semi-final action later that afternoon.
The full Irish schedule for the ten day long event can be viewed here
Over 1,400 athletes from 100 countries are set to compete in 214 medal events in Doha, which will be held in the 12,000 capacity Suhaim Bin Hamam stadium in the Qatar Sports Club.
At this moment in time, Jack O’Donoghue might be an upgrade to the back row. Coombes is the one that Munster cant afford to miss time. He was next level on Saturday.
@#JUSTICE4NOEL: and I even think Coombes is better at 6 than 8
@Macca1986: better at 8 than 6, sorry.
@#JUSTICE4NOEL: agreed, cj, ruddock must be scratching their heads at how Pom got 2 year with the irfu. He was brilliant on his day but that day is too irregular nowadays.
@#JUSTICE4NOEL: How J.O.D doesn’t get a starting place in that Munster team is unbelievable. He is a serious athlete and makes a difference every appearance. If he moved to Connaught or Ulster he would be first name on their team sheet
@Will: That you Liam Toland ?
@Will: that you Liam Toland?
@#JUSTICE4NOEL: yeah JOD has had a great year, lots of eye-catching carries. POM looked wrecked at the weekend.
@#JUSTICE4NOEL: based on what, it is certainly not form. Add in the fact POM can play 7 and gives a more balanced back row.
Coombes was great at carrying but he needs to hugely improve his defence; 5 missed tackles is too many.
@B Collins: yet he had 1 carry against Leinster and went backwards.
@John Buckley: I dont know what balance he offered in the time he was playing on Saturday. O’Donoghue is more abrasive I’d say. POM really brings value to the lineout but that’s not really a massive USP.
@#JUSTICE4NOEL: it was a lot more ballance than JOD offered and the stats show it. 10 tackles in 49 minutes from a man you constantly state can’t tackle shows you have no clue and are just continuing your vendetta against POM.
@Macca1986: Has to be 8….
@Macca1986: Has to be 8..
@John Buckley: No vendetta. Just say it as I see it. I think you might slightly embellish the impact that POM has. Nevertheless, each to their own.
@Seán Upton: you got me….
Wouldn’t see this as a bad thing as a Munster fan. O’donoghue brought more energy and power in 15 mins than o mahony in 65. O mahony has been out of form for way too long.
@hypebeast: …yeah, to be honest!! One of his biggest fans but looked a shadow of his former self last Sat.
@Michael Murray: as did every munster player
@hypebeast: can you get anything right? POM played 49mins to JODs 31 minutes.
POM made more passes, tackles (10 in 49minutes for the people who say he doesn’t tackle), defenders beaten and carried for more meters than JOD. In fact JOD doesn’t beat him on any stat, so who had the bigger impact?
POM has been in great form this season, it’s a blatant lie if you state otherwise.
Better off without him – his biggest attribute lately is going missing in big games !
Doesn’t matter if he’s injured, the angry face and pashun will do the job.
you’ll probably see munster rise for this game and couldn’t put in a performance last weekend
@Macca1986: Couldn’t or weren’t left put a performance in by a better more physical team. Can’t rise and play with 30% of the ball.
@Alan Noonan: I love pain so re-watched it last night, the amount of missed tackles was horrendous, that is not Leinster being brilliant its Munster being sloppy. The aggression Leinster showed was top drawer, munster lay down too easy and let them walk over us. Shocking level of performance for a final.
@Ronan: Pressure, physicality and tempo leads to missed tackles. Defending for that long also.
@Ronan: Going back over the years Munster have had a habit of doing that the week before a Heineken game and played out of their skins.
Was always a league came though never a final.
Hopefully we can show our best form on Saturday.
@Alan Noonan: Alan a lot of the missed tackles happened in the first 20 minutes. Been a problem all year.