Richards eyes 22m and a medal in London

WINNING medals at the highest level in the shot put is not new to O'Dayne Richards, with his biggest success in his career so far coming at the 2015 Beijing World Championships, where he collected bronze in the event.

Richards, who has won gold twice at the Central American and Caribbean Championships, was also at the top of the podium at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 and the Pan American Games in 2015 in Toronto, Canada. In Toronto, he won in a then national record 21.69 metres, and now he is aiming high for the London World Championships.

At the Rabat Diamond League on Sunday, Richards was in fantastic form as he finished second in a personal best and new national record of 21.96 metres. World leader, Ryan Crouser of the United States won the event with 22.47 metres.

Ranked number five on the world list following his performance on Sunday, the 26-year-old Richards was pleased with his performance in Rabat. He is now aiming to go over 22 metres in London.

"I feel very good with my performance. This has put me where I want to be going into the World Championships and hopefully I I can do much better," Richards said shortly after his solid performance.

Asked how confident he was of getting a medal in London in the event, Richards said: "I don't know about the medal as the other athletes will decide this, but I do want to medal, and I think throwing over 22 metres will put me in medal contention.

"My second-place performance has refreshed my confidence, and hopefully, it has made me even more confident going into London and will allow me to perform at a higher level."