Paralympics 2012: Jason Smyth aims to retain sprint titles

“Unless people are really close, I don’t think I can look at them in the eye because it’s my central vision that’s most affected.

“The best part of my eye to see out of is my peripheral vision. So for me to look at someone, the pupils of my eye would be looking past them.

“Then you get people acknowledging me and I don’t even see them and they might think that I’m awkward or ignorant.”

Smyth’s disability has meant that his coach Stephen Maguire has been at the athlete’s side 24/7 during their frequent stints in Florida, but the Strabane man is to take up a full-time director of coaching job with Scottish Athletics after the Paralympics.

Smyth will need a new coach after the Games but the Derryman will not be left on his own as he marries his American girlfriend Elise in December.

“I will have a bit of a life and completely get away from athletics when I’m not training,” he said.

“And while it wasn’t arranged at all, if there was a right time for there to be a swap over with Stephen leaving and me getting married, it couldn’t really have been much better timing.”

But before Smyth’s nuptials, there is the not-so-small matter of the Northern Irishman defending his two Paralympic titles.

Smyth is not someone who gets too caught up about the opposition, although gauging form before major events is always fraught with difficulty given that “new guys can just come out of nowhere”.

“If I run in and around my PB (10.22) that would be great but the other side of it is that it’s about winning big events.”

As was the case in Beijing four years ago, Smyth will room with his friend and fellow Paralympic gold medallist Michael McKillop, who will also be aiming for two titles in London.

Post-London, Smyth plans to prepare for further tilts at able-bodied major championships over the next four years in the hope of qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

“At one stage, I was wondering whether I wanted to keep going but I want to reach my potential and I haven’t done that yet.”