Smyth represents perhaps his country's best chance of success at September's Games and will arrive in the Brazilian city as the favourite in the T13 100m race, often one of the most-watched events at the Paralympics.

He believes he can go underneath the time of 10.46sec he clocked on his way to gold at London 2012.

"I feel like there is a potential to run quicker than I have in the last Paralympic Games," he said.

"I intend to – what happens on the day is always a different thing, but I’m optimistic that I can.

"I ran 10.39 at a race in Florida – the quickest I’ve run since 2013, so things are good.

“I’ve been consistent - 10.40, 10.50 so to be honest I’m happy with how things have moved along.”

The 29-year-old, who clinched his second consecutive International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics World Championships title over the distance in Doha last year, was re-classified back from the T12 to the T13 class ahead of the competition in Qatar.

This means he will only be able to defend one of his two Paralympic crowns due to the T13 200m having been removed from the programme for Rio 2016.

He nearly skipped the 200m race at the World Championships as it almost clashed with his wife giving birth to daughter Evie and he says becoming a father has made him more focused on success.

"It’s definitely made me more tired!" Smyth added.

"Has it made me more determined? 

"I’d say it probably has. 

"You’ve got someone relying on you."

Smyth is aware of the pressure on his shoulders heading into the Rio 2016 Paralympics, which run from September 7 to 18, and is determined to ensure he leaves the city with yet another gold medal.

“It obviously means a lot (winning gold in Rio) – with Beijing and London going so well, it’s about trying to continue that and maintain that high standard.

“You put years of work in for one moment so it means everything to go there and do well."