Jason Smyth finishes fifth in Lucerne 100m race

Jason Smyth set his personal best of 10.22 seconds in Florida in May

Jason Smyth was some way off his personal best as he took fifth in Thursday's meeting in Lucerne.

The Derry sprinter clocked 10.43 - .21 seconds outside his personal best, at the Spitzen Leichathletik meeting.

Smyth is chasing the World Championship and Olympic Games standard of 10.18.

Jamaican Nickel Ashmeade took victory in a pedestrian 10.24 on a chilly night which appeared to affect the sprinters. Those ahead of Smyth included American third-placer Travis Padgett (10.28).

Padgett has run under 10 seconds this season.

Double Paralympic champion from Beijing Smyth is expected to race again on the weekend of 30-31 July although the location has not yet been confirmed.

Smyth's Irish team-mate Paul Hession also achieved a fifth place in the 200m.

Hession clocked 20.82 which left him .80secs behind winner, American champion Walter Dix.

Katie Kirk and Joanna Mills have qualified for Friday's European Junior 400m final

Derval O'Rourke was third in the 100m hurdles in 13.14 won by Lisa Urech in 12.94.

Athenry sprinter Hession's season's best is 20.65, which is .35secs outside his personal best set four years ago.

Meanwhile local athletes Joanna Mills and Katie Kirk have reached the 400m final at the European Junior Championships in Tallinn.

Mills, competing for Ireland, set a new personal best of 53.89, finished third in her semi-final to clinch a fastest loser's spot.

The Ballymena & Antrim athlete cut .31secs off her previous best.

British team member Kirk was second in her semi-final in 54.31 to qualify automatically for Friday's final (1645 BST).

Mid-Ulster hammer thrower Andrew Doyle missed out on a place in the hammer final at the championships.

Doyle's best throw was 61.50m while Finn Valley's Dempsey McGuigan (62.68m) and Crusaders' Killian Barry (64.88m) also failed to progress.