A DELIGHTED Scott Lincoln believes he can become Great Britain’s first global shot put medallist in more than a century.
The Northallerton thrower qualified for his first World Athletics Championships final in Tokyo and finished eighth, less than a metre from the medals.
Lincoln is the first British shot putter to reach an Olympic or World Championships final in 16 years and held his own in a stacked field.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist qualified with a best effort of 21m exactly and matched that in the final, which was won by USA legend Ryan Crouser – while Mexico’s Uziel Munoz took a shock silver.
Denis Horgan remains the last British shot put global medallist, which he achieved with silver at the 1908 Olympics.
British champion Lincoln believes he can emulate him and insists this result in Tokyo is a major milestone in his career.
“I am over the moon to come out top eight in the world,” said the former bricklayer. "It was the furthest a Brit has ever thrown in a major, I think I saw somebody tweet earlier.
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“I don't feel like I'm a million miles away from medalling. It just takes me to hit one and it will line up in my favour.
“You see the Mexican guy, no one predicted him to medal. So why can't that be me next year or the year after?”
Lincoln made a major lifestyle change at the end of last season and moved to Melbourne to work with a new coach, Dale Stevenson.
The 32-year-old was there between November and May and says it has reinvigorated him as he bids to take his career to the next level.
In humid Tokyo, Lincoln said he lacked the energy he had in qualifying for the final but has been vindicated by his lifestyle change.
“Going by the first couple of warm-ups, I was feeling like I had no gas,” he said. “But we managed to pull something out of the bag and got two good throws. I'll take that. There was definitely still more in the tank.
“Going to Melbourne, it's just an exciting change that I needed, even this late on in my career. I have four to six years left, maybe. That’s another two Olympics, I don't know. We'll see how we go. I think a lot of people frowned about me moving but it's definitely paying off.”
* Follow all the action from the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 on BBC.
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