Jason Smyth has already qualified for this year's European Championships

Jason Smyth improved his 100 metres and 200m personal bests at a meeting in the US on Saturday.

The double Paralympic champion clipped .01secs off his previous 100m best, clocking 10.41 to again better the European Championship standard.

The visually impaired Eglinton man took .31secs off his previous 200m best with a time of 21.09 - only .09 outside the standard for Barcelona.

The Irish 100m champion was competing at a meeting in Tampa, Florida.

Smyth, who is hoping to compete at both the Olympics and Paralympics in London in 2012, has been training in Florida since January and seems certain to be on the Irish team in Barcelona.

The 22-year-old has continued to make steady progress against sighted athletes since clinching a sprint double in Beijing in 2008.

Last year, he represented Ireland at the European Under-23 Championships and finished the season on a high by winning the Irish 100m title and qualifying for this season's European Championships by improving his personal best to 10.42.

Given that it is early in the season, Smyth looks on course to considerably improve his personal best this year and Paul Brizzel's Northern Ireland 100m record of 10.35 could well be under threat.

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