British discus thrower chases NFL dream

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British discus thrower Lawrence Okoye is hoping to secure a contract in the NFL before returning to athletics later in life.

The 21-year-old, who finished 12th in his final at London 2012, caught the eye of several NFL teams at a training combine in Atlanta and has been handed a second chance to shine.

Okoye played rugby union for the London Irish academy and believes he has what it takes to compete in American Football as well, although he says the move would only be a short-term one and his intention is to return to athletics in the future.

"I came over to the States for warm-weather training for my discus," Okoye said. "When I saw that there was an American Football regional combine taking place in Atlanta, I applied online. And when I passed, I went along.

"At the combine, I really stood out because of my size, strength and speed. I don't want to sound arrogant, but I was good on the day - to the point that a lot of NFL clubs began talking to me immediately on the back of it. They all see me as a defensive end, which suits me just fine.

"I accept that some may question whether I can ever stick at one thing. I was good enough to be a rugby player, and I am good enough to be an international athlete, but American football has always been a dream for me... and I'm almost there."