Lord of the Dance
Jason Smyth and Michael McKillop strike gold at the World Para Athletics Championships in London
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Jason Smyth and Michael McKillop strike gold at the World Para Athletics Championships in London

JASON Smyth and Michael McKillop made it a double celebration for the Irish at London’s Olympic Stadium as they both won gold at the World Para Athletics Championships on Sunday.

Smyth took gold in the T13 100m with a winning time of 10.63 seconds in front of a huge audience in Stratford.

The record-breaking 30-year-old surged away from his rivals in his race for athletes with visual impairment.

He remains unbeaten in Paralympic competition since his international debut all the way back in 2005.

Poland's Mateusz Michalski followed Smyth home in second, with Chad Perris of Australia third.

Speaking at the finish line, the five-time Paralympic champion said: "When you come back to London and you look back at the Games here and consider how incredible it was, the reality is they've set new standards and a new bar for how World Championships should be done.

“Adding that all into tonight, it's just phenomenal to be here and to do it again.

"I had my wife and my daughter in the crowd, and all my family, and it's those moments that make it all the more special, to enjoy it with the people that mean the most."

Just minutes later, Michael McKillop won a second gold medal of the evening for Ireland and an eighth World Para gold of his illustrious career.

The 27-year-old distance runner won the T38 800m in a season's best time of two minutes and 0.93 seconds.

Australia’s Deon Kenzie was the runner up, while Tunisia’s Abbes Saidi took bronze in the race for runners with cerebral palsy.

Speaking afterwards, four-time Paralympic champion McKillop said: "Myself and my dad came up with tactics for today from Beijing 2008.

"No one in that race today was in my race in Beijing, so they didn't know what I was going to do.

“I looked over my right shoulder from 240m to go and did a pick up and the Canadian came right behind me and I just kicked and whenever I do that, no one can stay with me and I was able to come down the home straight knowing that I had a gap but I was able to keep driving on for the finish line."

Earlier in the day, Kildare native Patrick Monahan made his World Championship debut in the heats of the T54 1500m, finishing ninth in 3:14.65.

Fellow Irish Paralympians Niamh McCarthy and Orla Barry claimed discus silver medals on Saturday.

McCarthy's throw of 26.17m was good enough to secure a precious silver behind Paralympic champion Raoua Tlili of Tunisia, with a championship record of 32.29m.

Barry secured her World Championships silver with a best throw of 28.89 coming in the second round.

Three Irish athletes will take to the track on Monday.

Meath man Paul Keogan will feature in the morning session in the heats of the T37 200m, while Jason Smyth races again in the heats of the T13 200m.

Dubliner Orla Comerford will make her World Championship debut in the T13 100m afterwards as Ireland look to add to an already impressive medal haul.