IRELAND’S JASON SMYTH, the fastest Paralympian on the planet, is pleased to see his long-time team-mate Michael McKillop back to his best as Tokyo 2020 nears.
McKillop took silver at the Para-Athletics European Championships in Poland last month, making his 1500m podium return after a difficult period with injury.
The four-time Paralympic champion clocked 4:09.85; 5.46 seconds behind Redouane Hennouni-Bouzidi of France who set a new European record.
It was a positive return, made all the sweeter given the frustrating time McKillop has endured, forced to change category after all middle-distance events were removed from his T37 category and moved to T38. As a result, the Antrim man’s 13-year unbeaten record came to an end at the 2019 World Championships.
That said, both have dominated in Para competition through the years and will hope to continue their remarkable exploits at this summer’s Games.
“It’s great,” Smyth said when asked about McKillop’s return from injury.
“He started off the season better than he has in quite a while. So yeah, sport can be extremely tough on that. I know for myself having a few issues throughout my career as well, it just mentally can be very tough and mentally being able to bounce back.
That shows obviously a lot about him and his character. This will be our fourth Games together so it’s great to have somebody there that I get on so well with and can enjoy the experience with, and have a bit of banter and bounce off each other.
“It’s great to see things moving in the right direction for him.”
Five-time Paralympic champion Smyth makes no secret of his own aim. Gold is the only acceptable outcome for the sensational sprinter.
“That’s where the target is and the target will always be,” he nods.
“I mean that’s where I aim for, that’s what I want. I don’t really think about anything else. At the end of the day, it’s about getting my performance right, and when my performance is right, then that’s more likely to happen. Yeah, that’s very much the target.”
Smyth also paid tribute to his former coach, Stephen Maguire, who is back on these shores having worked with Scottish Athletics as Director of Performance and Coaching, and British Athletics, in the past few years.
The Tyrone man is now Head of High Performance Coaching with Sport Ireland, and his involvement is a huge boost for Irish sport in general, Smyth says.
“I do be in contact with him and I have caught up with him a few times. I’ve always kept in contact with him but definitely more so that he is back. He’s known me and known me at my best and being around the top level of sprinting so he’s a great person for me, and advice and suggestions and pointing in the right direction.
I think it’s a great move from a sport in Ireland perspective to have someone of his calibre and expertise back. And sometimes I think what’s lacking at home is others from here who have gone away and seen sport and operated in sport at the very highest level.
“Sometimes, and again I say it from my experience, sometimes we can somewhat live in our little bubble within Ireland but it’s not until you go away and see other countries and who individuals work and operate that you realise that sport operates at a higher level than what people sometimes think.
“What he’ll bring is to try and shift that mindset and that’s what’s needed in sport and to ask the right questions to hopefully push the performance levels of all sports up across the board.”
