#2 Visually impaired Jason Smyth broke the world record in 2012
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Ireland’s Jason Smyth had clocked a world record at London 2012 as he became the fastest Paralympian on the planet with his feat. The interesting fact about the athlete is that he is visually impaired and still managed to clock the record. Smyth had earned the title of the fastest Paralympian in Beijing 2008 as he clocked a timing of 10.62 seconds to break the former record.
The sprinter went on to better his record as he ran even faster at the London 2012 Games where he finished with a timing of 10.46 seconds. The 29-year old Smyth will now be looking at creating history by getting a hat-trick of gold medals in the 100m event in Rio. Smyth said “he intends to” make an even better record this time.
Smyth will be hitting the track on 8th September on the very first day of athletics competition at Rio 2016, in the heats for the men's 100m in the T13 classification which is for the visually impaired. The Irish is just one of the many Paralympic stars who will be taking part in Paralympics’ athletics events, which form the largest competition at Rio 2016.
All athletics events will take place every day from the first day onwards, ranging from track races to marathons on the roads of Rio. Classic field competitions such as the discus, shot put and javelin throw will also be conducted for the Paralympians. Many athletes will be competing in Rio in wheelchairs or with guides, depending on their level of visual impairment.
