DAVID Davies reckons he will be under no pressure despite being the best chance of a Welsh medal out here in Athens.
With Nicole Cooke returning home medal-less the focus now turns to Cardiff-born Davies to fly the flag for Wales and grab some glory for Team GB.
But on the eve of his 1500m freestyle heat the 19-year-old says the pressure is off him and all on current Olympic champion Australian Grant Hackett.
Davies said: "I'll have nothing to lose when we start racing.
"I'm 19 and hopefully this won't be my last Olympic experience so the pressure is off me and all on Grant Hackett.
"I regard him as one of the best athletes of all time with the best record in the world.
"Football teams, athletes - they all get beaten but he's maintained his status in this event for just so long.
"But in Athens he's got to perform well as a lot of good swimmers will be there and I know I'm in good shape."
Davies starts his campaign ranked third in the world with only Hackett and American Larsen Jensen ahead of him.
But Davies isn't bothered by the expectation on him due to his high ranking.
He added: "I don't feel under pressure at all.
"I've had the best preparation available to me therefore I've nothing to be nervous about.
"I'm just so excited, I aim to get the best performance and time that I deserve. "But where that puts me in the world I don't know as I can't control what everyone else is doing."
l Davies starts his Olympic campaign tomorrow morning and is in heat three 8.58am GMT
Larsen goes in heat four while Hackett it is heat five. Swimming gets underway at 8.21am GMT.
l Team GB finally delivered on the big stage today by winning four Olympic medals in Athens. Diving duo Peter Waterfield and Leon Taylor won silver on the opening day of competition, but they had to wait another three days before Stephen Parry became the next British medallist by taking bronze in the 200m butterfly.
However, the team won one silver and three bronze medals yesterday, although it looked at one stage as though one of the bronze would be silver for the equestrian team of Pippa Funnell, Leslie Law, Mary King and Jeanette Brakewell.
They had finished in third place but were upgraded to silver after Germany's Bettina Hoy committed an elementary error by crossing the start-line twice.
She was penalised 12 points, costing Germany the team gold and moving Britain up to second, but the Germans appealed and were reinstated as Olympic champions. The Brits had to be content with bronze - but Law did claim silver in the individual event behind Hoy.
The British team were able to appeal against Germany's successful appeal, and it was not yet known whether the results would change again. Helen Reeves had earlier got the day off to a great start by winning bronze in the K1 kayak canoeing final.
The 23-year-old from Nottingham had originally been placed fourth in the final standings. Archer Alison Williamson also won bronze with a final arrow win over China's Shu Chi Yuan.
Former Monmouth Rowing Club member Pete Gardner and Cardiff's Simon Cottle were in the GB quad scull which came sixth in their semi-final today. They will now compete in the B final on Saturday morning.
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