CROYDON'S Olympic discus thrower Lawrence Okoye has agreed a deal to play for one of the biggest names in American Football.
The 21-year old recently declared his intention to switch from athletics to a stint in the NFL - despite being the British discus record holder.
The former Whitgift School pupil wasn't selected in the initial NFL draft but has now been signed up by the San Francisco 49ers.
Okoye, who finished 12th in the London 2012 Olympic discus final, broke the news on his Twitter page this morning (Sunday).
Initial reports suggest he will sign a three-year deal with the 49ers and play in the defensive line.
This being the case, it would virtually rule out any possibility of Okoye returning to athletics in time for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, his original intention.
Speaking to the Advertiser about his NFL ambitions earlier this month, Okoye said: He added: "It's something I've had in the back of my head for along time so I decided to go for it.
"If I don't do it now I'm never going to do it, so it's something I want to prove to myself more than anything."
