PAN American Games silver medallist Dorian Scott has declared his readiness to become the first Jamaican to secure a shot put medal in the history of the IAAF World Championships, which is slated for later this month.

SCOTT... I feel ready to drop a 21m (throw), so I just have to continue to work hard in training

"I'm in good form and will be a (medal) contender," Scott told the Observer recently, as he looked forward to the 11th IAAF World Championships between August 25 and September 2, after winning the silver at the 15th Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last month.

Having twice broken his own national record with throws of 20.52m and 20.60m in March and April, respectively, the five-time national champion knows he needs to make massive improvements to stand any chance against the big boys of America and Europe.

Reese Hoffa and Christian Cantwell, both of USA are the top contenders with distances of 22.43m and 21.96m, respectively, on the IAAF outdoor performance list this season. Joachim Olsen of Denmark follows them closely with 21.61m.

"I have to just keep trying the way I have been training, because as I've been saying I'm in good form right now, I feel ready to drop a 21m (throw), so I just have to continue to work hard in training," he reasoned.
By his standard, Scott under-performed in Brazil's Joao Havalange Stadium, albeit in rainy conditions, by producing 20.06 metres to take silver, 0.06 metres behind Canadian Dylan Armstrong's 20.10. Carlos Veliz of Cuba took the bronze with 19.75 metres.
Scott's best mark of 20.60 metres ranks him as the 18th best shot putter on the IAAF list in 2007.

"If I stay on the same path that I'm on, I'll definitely be in medal contention in Osaka, I just need to execute on the day, because shot put is just about hitting one good throw," he explained.

Two years ago in the Helsinki, Finland - Scott now 25, registered 18.23m to finish 14th in the qualifying round and failed to make the final.
Meanwhile, Scott, who posted 19.75 metres to win Jamaica's first silver medal in the shot put at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, last year, told the Observer that his career is back on track after his unfortunate and regrettable public warning by the IAAF for his use of cannabis (ganja).

"It's just an unfortunate situation, just being around the wrong thing... didn't realise it would even be in my system," he explained. "It was just a mistake on my part and I've got to move on from it... use these things as a learning experience," Scott said.

His positive test for cannabis in competition at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games on July 29, 2006 in Cartagena, Colombia, resulted in him losing the gold medal after being disqualified.
Cannabis is a recreational non-performance-enhancing drug, but it has been on the World Anti-doping Agency's (WADA) list of banned substances since its inception in 2004.

Scott's progression of the national shot put record

19.46 June 10, 2004
19.61 April 23, 2005
19.61 July 10, 2005
19.74 July 10, 2005
20.21 July 10, 2005
20.21 April 29, 2006
20.33 June 24, 2006
20.34 July 29, 2006
20.52 March 31, 2007
20.60 April 7, 2007

Tastee Talent Trail finalists prepare for the big night

Are You Afraid Of Your Financial Future?

Good support in Bounty Hall for Heineken's 'Bond' road show