IRISH champion hammer thrower Roman Linscheid will be hoping to guarantee his place at the Olympics by throwing the required distance of 74 metres in Chicago this week after going close to his personal best at the Wisconsin Invitational on Sunday.

The Meathman threw 72.32 metres, just six centimetres short of his best, to take first place and is hopeful that if his form continues to improve he can achieve the qualifying distance in Chicago, where he will be competing twice or at an upcoming meet in Oregon.

Linscheid's main rival for a place at the Atlanta games, Paddy McGrath, recently beat the 25-year-old into second place at another event in the US with a throw of 69.90 metres - just 10 centimetres short of the secondary Olympic qualifying mark.

If McGrath does achieve that distance Linscheid will have to throw 74 metres to be sure of a place in the travelling party or else face the possibility of a head to head clash at the National Championships in June.