Time running out for Smyth

ATHLETICS:THE DREAM was to become the first man in history to run in the Olympics and Paralympics in the same year and the reality now is the time is running away.

The first sign was when Jason Smyth came out yesterday morning and struggled, it seemed, to run 10.47.

That got him out of his heat of the 100 metres, and Smyth hoped there was more to come – but then yesterday evening he clocked 10.52 in his semi-final, leaving him in seventh place.

Smyth needed 10.18 to get him to the London Olympics – and while he still has until July 8th, Helsinki has provided something of a reality check, instead perhaps of turning the dream into the reality.

“I don’t really know why, but these two races here today just didn’t come together,” said Smyth. “I started better in the semi-final this evening, but I’d be running 10.2, 10.3, so to go to 10.4, 10.5 is a significant difference, and right now I can’t really put my finger on it.

“It’s a little frustrating, because I know I’ve done all the work, and still believe I am capable of running it, but it just hasn’t gone right. I’m back in Europe now two weeks, so that’s no excuse.

“All I can go do is try again in the last few chances I’ve got, which means trying to race somewhere next week, and then the National Championships, next weekend. I’ll just have to keep racing and keep hoping until that deadline passes.”

First man across the line was Christophe Lemaitre from France in 10.14 – the sort of time that Smyth was looking to get to London with, but nevertheless, the target of defending both his Paralympics sprint titles remains very much real.

Earlier, Amy Foster failed to progress from her 100m heat, finishing seventh in 11.58, and ending up five places off qualifying.

No such problems for Britain’s Mo Farah who, as anticipated, defended his 5,000 metres by fairly smoking his rivals with a closing display of front-running that suggests the London Olympic can’t come round fast enough for him.

“A good warm-up for London,” is how Farah described it – and so it was, as he cruised home in 13:29.91, always running well within himself.

The silver medal went to the much improved Arne Gabius from Germany, in 13:31.83 – the sort of times Ireland’s Alistair Cragg might well have been able to handle had he decided not to bypass Helsinki and head straight to London.