SHOT put star John Nicholls knows he has his work cut out to claim a medal at the World Masters Indoor Championships despite winning a third straight British indoor title on Sunday.

Nicholls won gold in the men's over 40s category at the British Masters Indoor Championships in London at the weekend, preserving a 12-month unbeaten run.

But the 42-year-old from Stockton Heath was not happy with his winning distance of 14.64m and reckons he will need to find a further 75 centimentres if he is to put himself in the reckoning when he competes on the world stage in the French city of Clermont-Ferrand on March 19.

Competitors from 59 countries will be in action in France and Nicholls, who won European indoor gold last year, said: "I'm three-quarters of a metre shy.

"People have come from the men's over 35s and there's three Germans who have thrown over 16 metres, a Pole who has done that in compeititionn as well as a French guy.

"It's not like last year. Realistically there's five with daylight between them and me.

"When I get there I'll be going to win and I know what I can do.

"But I'll need to beat anything I've ever done before in my life. You can have a bad day and not make the final.

"I was disappointed with 14.64m on Sunday to be honest.

"I've been training very well even though I've had a lot of niggling injuries. Training led me to believe I would throw further but I warmed up well and then it went flat, which is the worst way of doing it.

"But it's another title and a hat-trick of British titles. Twenty-five months ago I didn't have one British title."