SYDNEY, (Reuters) – Hosts Britain will be nervous about their medal chances at next year’s London Olympics after raising expectations by finishing fourth in the table at Beijing, according to Australia’s Chef de Mission Nick Green.
Australia finished sixth in the gold medals ranking and fifth in the overall medals tally in Beijing and have targeted a top five placing in both standings in London.
Although Green played down the importance of the rivalry between the two countries for Australian success in London, he said he thought it would be quite a challenge for the hosts to improve on their Beijing haul.
“I think they’ll be very nervous about their expectations because if they don’t get better than fourth on the medal tally, in the eyes of their public, they will probably be seen to not have succeeded,” Green told reporters at a Team Planning meeting at a Sydney hotel over the weekend.
“Traditionally the host nation, bar Canada in 1976, win more medals than they previously did,” he added. “The team from Great Britain … had an absolutely outstanding performance in Beijing.
“Whether there’s another level in their team, I have no idea. That’s going to be the challenge for them …”
The Australians were fourth behind the three sporting superpowers of the United States, China and Russia at the 2000 Sydney Games and again at the Athens Olympics four years later.
Britain enjoyed success in Beijing in events where Australia have traditionally been strong, most notably in the cycling velodrome and swimming pool.
Green thinks, however, that to focus just on taking medals off the hosts at the London Games would be a mistake.
“From my point of view, it’s not Australia versus Great Britain in any way,” said the twice Olympic rowing champion.
