WARRINGTON Sports Personality of the Year John Nicholls is determined to make it a perfect year with shot put victory in the British Masters Championships in Birmingham on Sunday.
The 41-year-old from Stockton Heath has already secured victory in three of the four events he set out to win at the start of the year.
He has triumphed at the British Masters Indoor Championships in London and at the European Veterans Indoor Championships in Helsinki, as well as clinching an incredible 21st successive Cheshire Championships title.
Now Nicholls has his heart set on putting right the only major low point of the last couple of years when he competes in the over 40s event this weekend.
He finished second at last year's British Masters - an event he felt he should have won - and is focused on winning this time to complete a perfect 2007 that has also seen him pick up the Warrington Sports Personality prize.
The passionate Nicholls, who will go into the event as the favourite, said: "I didn't really believe I could win four out of four at the start of the year but I've won three and I want four badly.
"Last year I focused on something after it - the European Championships.
"I failed to focus on my next event and I got caught. The intensity wasn't there.
"This time I'm running into form and I'm going to win.
"People tell me to just do my best but I'm going there to do what I did in Helsinki.
"I'm going there to win."
Nicholls, who gained a psychological boost by training with one of his British rivals on Saturday, had planned to retire last year but is almost certain that he will continue competing in 2008.
He already has a trip to France for March's World Masters Indoor Championships in mind, saying: "I'll give it my very best shot, if you excuse the pun."
And, such is his pleasure at holding the Warrington Sports Personality award, he is keen to win this weekend to put himself in the running when the prizes are handed out again in early 2008.
He said: "I was so proud to win the Sports Personality and I wanted to do two things this year.
"I wanted to justify the judges' decision and I wanted to put myself in the running again.
"Other people in Warrington have done some good things and it's out of my hands, but if I win four out of four I've put myself in the running."
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