'I know I can compete with the top dudes in the world' - Eric Favors on big shot put ambitions

The New York native has been making an impression in the Irish vest.

SHOT AT GLORY: Eric Favors competes for Ireland at the European Championships. Picture: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

When it comes to the shot put, size matters, the physics underpinning the event meaning that the greater the mass behind that 7.26kg metal ball, the easier it is to send it soaring beyond 20 metres.

Until last year, just one Irishman in history had done that, Paul Quirke, but it’s a distance Eric Favors has started to make routine. The 26-year-old broke the Irish record several times last year, throwing 20.50m outdoors, and he’s started this season in similar fashion, breaking his own Irish indoor record with 20.16m.