ATHLETICS: Jason Smyth cruises into 200m final in London

Jason Smyth of Ireland competing in the Men's 200m T13 heats ahed of qualifying for the final

Jason Smyth enjoyed a comfortable passage to the T13 200m final at the World Para-athletics Championships by cruising to a heat win in London.

The Irish sprinter and world record holder clocked 21.86 seconds on Monday night with Poland’s Mateusz Michalski second in 22.19.

Smyth was back in action at the London Stadium a day after securing a fourth world title in the T13 100m.

The 30-year-old will race for 200m gold in Tuesday night’s final.

The visually-impaired athlete from County Londonderry was a double Paralympic gold medallist at the same stadium in 2012.

Smyth is unbeaten at Paralympic level since beginning his international career at the 2005 European Championships.

Irish team manager James Nolan said; “Jason ran a great bend and looked totally in control throughout. He has a busy schedule here but is meticulous with his preparations and recovery. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do in the final.”

Smyth himself: “I got a good start and ran a strong bend to put my competitors under pressure. The plan worked well and I was in a postion then to just cruise home.”