'I lived and fulfilled the dream'. Undefeated Jason Smyth announces his retirement

Jason Smyth has announced his retirement from Para Athletics after the most remarkable career which included four Paralympic Games, 21 gold medals and an unblemished undefeated record. 

Hailed the “Fastest Paralympian on the Planet”, Smyth won six gold medals at the Paralympic Games in the 100m and 200m events. He also claimed 8 Gold medals at World Championships 6 gold medals at European Championships and a gold at the World Indoor Championships over 60 metres. He also retires as the current European, World and Paralympic Champion in the event that he helped to redefine; the T13 100m and he is the current World Record holder in both events.

The Eglinton man will now take up a manager role with Paralympic Ireland where he will focus his energy on bringing through the next generation of Irish stars. 

"I think now is the right time for me to step away from competitive Paralympic Sport," he said. "I lived and fulfilled the dream and now I hope to support the next generation of para-athletes on their journey.  I have loved my time with Team Ireland and I have had many incredible memories that I will really treasure from my time as an athlete. There are so many people that have helped me along the way from my coaches, support staff, to my teammates, partners and my competitors. I would especially like to pay tribute to my incredible and very patient family, especially my wife, Elise and my daughters Evie and Lottie.”

“I now look forward to joining my new teammates at Paralympics Ireland. I feel that I have a lot to offer thanks to my experiences as an athlete and as someone that has been in the Paralympic and Disability sporting environment since my youth. I can’t wait to start this new stage of my career and giving back to the sport that has meant so much to me.”