FORMER Warrington Sports Personality of the Year John Nicholls finished another good year by retaining his shot put title at the British Masters Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Sunday.

The 42-year-old produced a throw of 14.85m to win gold in the over 40s event by almost four metres, ending a year that has also seen him win the British Masters Indoor Championships and claim silver at the World Masters Indoor Championships.

“It’s been another really good year and I’m happy,” said Nicholls, who won European indoor gold in 2006 and remarkably set a new personal best of 15.46m in March.

“I don’t know what has happened in the last three years but long may it continue! “About six or seven weeks ago I damaged my ankle, too.

“There’s a rim around the athletics track and I trod on it and went down like a sack of spuds and damaged ankle ligaments.

“That took the wind out of my sails.

“I went to a North of England League meeting for the first time in years and I was really nervous but I threw 15.33m.

“Then I threw 15.11m at the North of England Championships. I’ve just been able to produce the quality when it matters.

“I threw 15 metres three times on the trot, which I’d never done before.

“I’ve now just got to work out a training schedule to defend my European title. I still can’t get used to that, ‘my’ European title.

“That’s in Italy in March and I’ll have to find 15.50m.”

Nicholls’ throw of 15.46m at the world indoors places him seventh in the all-time British over 40s shot put rankings and he is determined to win a world gold before he retires, even though work commitments may prevent him competing next year in Finland.

He said: “I’ve ticked a lot of boxes and the one I want to tick now is the world title.

“I want to compete in Canada in two years’ time and then have my swansong in Sacramento (in the United States) when I’m 45.”