Smyth, the 24-year-old visually impaired athlete from Derry in Northern Ireland, set two world records when he claimed gold medals in the finals of the T13 100 and 200 metres at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics leading many to compare him to Jamaica's Usain Bolt, who achieved a similar feat at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Smyth will be strong favourite to replicate the performance at London 2012 and he is one of two reigning Paralympic champions to be named in the Irish team today along with T37 800m star Michael McKillop (pictured top, back row, third right).

The 22-year-old from Ballymena is also double world champion over the distance and like Smyth, is strongly tipped to defend his title.

McKillop is also one of five reigning world champions in the team alongside F51 discus thrower Catherine O'Neill, H1 time trial and road race cyclist Mark Rohan, 3km female tandem pursuit cyclist Catherine Walsh (pictured below, left) and C2 road time trial and road time trial cyclist Colin Lynch.


The 49 athletes named today will be competing across ten different sports at London 2012 and it is the largest Irish team to appear at the Paralympics since Atlanta 1996.

"I would like to congratulate the 49 athletes on their selection for the London 2012 Paralympic Games," said Ring (pictured top, back row, centre) at the announcement at Concert Hall in Dublin.

"Very few people get the opportunity to represent their country at such a high level.

"It's a tremendous honour and the athletes, their families and friends should be very proud.

"I have no doubt that our athletes will be great ambassadors for Ireland and for their respective sports.

"I would like to extend my very best wishes to the team in their preparations for the Games."

For the first time ever at the Paralympics, Ireland will compete in rowing and shooting after Sarah Caffrey (pictured below), Anne Marie McDaid, Shane Ryan, Kevin Du Toit and Helen Arbuthnot were named in the rowing team and Sean Baldwin was named as a shooter.


Liam Harbison (pictured top, back row, third left), the Paralympics Ireland chief executive and Chef de Mission for the Irish team at London 2012, admitted he has high hopes for the team as they aim to better their 36th place on the medal table at Beijing 2008 where they won five medals, three of which were gold.

"Today's team announcement is the culmination of a huge effort by everyone involved in Paralympic sport in Ireland," he said.

"The preparation, coordination and management of the Irish team is a huge task, which would not have been possible without the continuing support of the Irish Sports Council, Sport NI and our sponsors and partners.

"Their support has enabled us to prepare 49 athletes to compete and excel at the London2012 Paralympic Games.

"It's time for us to make a return on the faith and investment placed in us by them all – we aim to deliver."

The Irish Paralympic team will now head to Antrim for the first ever Paralympics Ireland training camp in Northern Ireland from June 28 to July 1.

They will then attend a final Renault Ireland Team 2012 Training Camp in Limerick in August before heading to Portugal on August 16 for the ISC Pre-Games Holding Camp.

The team will then travel directly from Portugal to the Paralympic Village in Stratford on August 24, just days before the Paralympic Opening Ceremony on August 29.


"The Irish Team aim to achieve great personal and collective success at the Games," added Paralympics Ireland performance director Nancy Chillingworth (pictured above).

"The performances of the athletes in the qualification phase demonstrate that the performance targets for the Irish team of five medals and fifteen finalists set by the Beijing Review are realistic and achievable.

"We've planned meticulously to ensure the correct environment is in place around each athlete at the Games to facilitate their optimum performance."

The Irish Paralympic team kit, manufactured by O'Neills, was also unveiled at today's announcement after it was designed in collaboration with Paralympics Ireland to reflect the dynamic and elite nature of Paralympic sport.

The full team is available to view here.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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