The 35-year-old Derry-born athlete, who has less than 10 per cent vision due to an eye condition known as Stargardt disease, has raced in the T13 class since 2005 without ever losing a race.

Since then he has amassed 100 metre golds at four successive Paralympics - Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

He added 200m victories in Beijing and London, as well as securing eight world titles, one world indoor title and six European golds.

Smyth is the current world record holder in his two sprint distances.

He has also competed in non-Paralympic athletics, winning two Athletics Ireland National Championships in the 100m and representing Ireland at two European Athletics Championships, where he reached the semi-finals, and the World Athletics Championships.

This made him the first ever Paralympian to compete in these events.

Smyth also represented Northern Ireland at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

He has run 100m in 10.22sec, making him the third fastest 100m sprinter in Irish history and the fastest in Northern Irish history.

"I think now is the right time for me to step away from competitive Paralympic sport," Smyth said.

"I lived and fulfilled the dream and now I hope to support the next generation of Para athletes on their journey.

"I have loved my time with Team Ireland and I have had many incredible memories that I will really treasure from my time as an athlete.

"There are so many people that have helped me along the way from my coaches, support staff, to my team-mates, partners and my competitors.

"I would especially like to pay tribute to my incredible and very patient family, especially my wife Elise and my daughters Evie and Lottie."

His final performance at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games may be remembered among his greatest, as he held off the challenge of Algeria's Skander Djamil Athmani to win the 100m title by one hundredth of a second.

Smyth will now join Paralympics Ireland as a strategy manager.

"I look forward to joining my new team-mates at Paralympics Ireland," he said.

"I feel that I have a lot to offer thanks to my experiences as an athlete and as someone that has been in the Paralympic and disability sporting environment since my youth.

"I can't wait to start this new stage of my career and giving back to the sport that has meant so much to me."

Stephen McNamara, chief executive of Paralympics Ireland, said: "I would like to join the world of Paralympic sport in congratulating Jason on an incredible and historic career.

"He has transcended Paralympic sport and become a true sporting icon thanks to his outstanding successes as an athlete.

"He truly is one of the greatest ever Irish sportspeople of all time and I believe that will be his legacy."