AFRICAN SPORTS MONTHLY
'Sports is our Business'
  • Home
  • NEWS
  • Radio
  • TV

Jason Smyth leads qualification for final of competition to find world’s fastest para-athlete

9/7/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Brazil’s Petrucio Ferreira crosses the line ahead Evan O’Hanlon of Australia (left) and USA’s David Brown (centre) (Photo: Rio 2016/Marcelo Regua)
 

Petrucio Ferreira, Richard Browne and Evan O’Hanlon complete line-up for unprecedented race that is part of one year to Rio 2016 Paralympic Games celebrations

Favourite Jason Smyth set the fastest time in qualifying for the final of an unprecedented competition to find the fastest para-athlete in the world, alongside Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday (6 September). The Irishman won his heat in 10.63 seconds to reach Monday’s final in the 100m event – part of the one year to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games celebrations – that is pitching the world’s fastest sprinters from different disability classes against each other.


Four-time Paralympic Games champion Smyth, whose world record of 10.46 seconds in the visually impaired T13 class is the fastest time ever posted by a para-athlete, will face Brazil’s Petrucio Ferreira  (200m T47 amputee world record holder), the USA’s Richard Browne (100m world and Paralympic Games silver medallist in the T44 amputee class,) and Australia’s Evan O’Hanlon (five-time Paralympic champion and world record holder in the T38 cerebral palsy class) in the final. The race will be one of the highlights of the second day of the Paralympic Festival on Monday.

Smyth, who now competes in the T12 class as his eye condition has worsened, won his heat on Sunday morning against Brazil’s Felipe Gomes (world silver medallist and London 2012 bronze medallist in the T11 visual impairment class) and Browne.

“The nice thing was that my time was the quickest, but tomorrow is a different day,” said Smyth.  “I hope I can run the quickest tomorrow. Hopefully lots of people will come to celebrate the one year to the Games milestone.

“This event is such a unique opportunity, not only for the athletes, but also for the people watching, because we never see this. It really is something special to bring athletes together regardless of their disabilities to promote the sport.”

Ferreira, who gold at last month’s Parapan-American Games in Toronto, won the second heat in 10.79 seconds against the USA’s David Brown (100m world record holder in the T11 visually impaired class) and O’Hanlon.

“I will give my best tomorrow and I hope I can finish in first place,” said Ferreira. “But the most important thing is the excitement the event generates and showing people a little of what will happen next year in Rio.”

Browne and O’Hanlon qualified for the final – which will take place at 12.50pm on Monday (7 September) in Parque dos Patins – by recording he next best times, 10.84 and 10.91 seconds respectively. There will also be a B-final on Sunday, contested by T11 class athletes Gomes and Brown, who run alongside guides.

A women’s race will be contested by Cubans Omara Durand (the world’s fastest female para-athlete) and Yunidis Castillo (T47 100m world record holder) and Brazilian Terezinha Guilhermina, a winner of three Paralympic and eight world titles.

The second day of the Paralympic Festival starts at 9am and will feature cultural and educational events, music, dance, sports workshops and two international sports challenges – Brazil v Argentina in visually impaired five-a-side football and USA v Brazil in women’s sitting volleyball. Click here to see the full programme.

By: Editor
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Menu

    All
    2014 FIFA World Cup
    Athletics
    Basketball
    Boxing
    Commonwealth Games
    Cricket
    Golf
    Hockey
    Marathons
    News
    Olympics
    Rugby
    Soccer
    Spotlight
    Tennis
    Track And Field
    Volleyball
    Women Soccer
    Wrestling


    Picture

    RSS Feed


    Tweets by ASMONTHLY

Tweet to @ASMONTHLY

Contact Us

    Contact Us

Submit

Donate & Support Our Efforts at African Sports Media Network