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SPRINT RUNNER JASON Smyth was crowned the winner of Dancing With The Stars Ireland on RTÉ last night with his dance partner Karen Byrne.
The seventh series of the dance competition show came to an end last night as the public voted between the final four couples.
Smyth and Byrne performed a Samba to Rhythm Divine by Enrique Iglesias, which scored 28 points from the judges, and a show dance to Go the Distance by Michael Bolton, which scored a perfect 30.
Smyth has won gold medals for Ireland at the Paralympic Games from 2008 to 2020 and has also placed first multiple times at the World Championships and European Championships. He announced his retirement last year.
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He has Stargardt’s Diesease that affects his central vision and is legally blind, which he discussed during his time on Dancing With The Stars.
Speaking after the winner was announced, Smyth said he felt “incredible”.
“It’s about showing what’s possible and I really hope that that’s what I’ve done through this journey,” he said.
He thanked his wife, who he said has put in a “huge amount of sacrifice”, and his dance partner Karen Byrne.
At the start of the season, eleven celebrities are paired up with professional dancers to perform a different style of ballroom or Latin dance each week.
Alongside Smyth and Byrne, the other three final couples were Laura Fox and Denys Samson, Blue Hydrangea and Simone Arena, and David Whelan and Salome Chachua.
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Well done Jason, great achievement indeed. Karen Byrne definitely clinched it with her choreography,talent and endearing Dublin personality.
Very entertaining and such a contrast to all the doom and gloom.
With our cultural history of dance and the positive worldwide impact of it, we and RTE are reducing us all to lowering our standards by watching/voting for the best out of an extremely well paid bad lot. It may ‘beat’ re
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