Okoye searches for consistency

Okoye hopes to back up his British record throw with a gold medal at the European Under-23 Championships (HASSE SJOGREN)

Lawrence Okoye might be occupying the dizzy heights of third place in the world discus rankings courtesy of his monster 67.63m throw at the Throws Fest meeting in Hendon last Saturday, but the former rugby union starlet insisted yesterday: "I've got to understand I've got a long way to go before I can call myself one of the best discus throwers in the world."

The 19-year-old hopes to back up his British record throw with a gold medal at the European Under-23 Championships, which open today at Ostrava in the Czech Republic. "The difference between me and the rest is they can pull out big throws on a regular basis and I can't," he said.