Colin Oates out to break British Olympic judo drought
Last updated on .From the section Judo
Colin Oates believes he is in a great place to become Britain's first male Olympic judo medallist since 1992.
The 32-year-old, who finished seventh at London 2012, is currently world number nine ahead of Rio 2016.
"Someone's got to break that long streak and I'll definitely be the person looking to do that," he said.
"I think I've got a great chance in my weight category, I've beaten some of the top players in the world, some that have taken Olympic and World medals."
Oates, who won Commonwealth Games gold at Glasgow 2014, added to BBC Look East: "It's got to be someone, so why shouldn't it be me? The last time in London we did fantastically with Gemma Gibbons and Karina Bryant taking silver and bronze.
"They've done wonders for us to keep our funding high and keep sending as many players away to keep qualifying."
Essex-born Oates, who grew up in Norfolk, is yet to confirm his place at Rio, but says if he is to qualify, he is in a better place than he was for his first Olympic experience three years ago.
"The hardest part for me for me now is just maintaining my standards and level of training and performance.
"That's the thing I get more disappointed about when I fight. It's not so much the results, if I lose fighting to the best of my ability I'm not worried about it.
"I'm definitely better prepared for Rio, and I'd like to think I've got a chance of taking a medal, as anyone who attends has, but I'm in a really good position in terms of the way I've developed over the last three years."
