Gold may be the obvious aim but Richard Hounslow knows he has to keep a clear mind when he tackles the Olympic canoe slalom course later today.
After watching his teammates go in the individual events yesterday, Hounslow makes his own Rio 2016 appearance alongside David Florence in the C2 heats.
The pair have been competing together since 2009, winning multiple World and European Championship medals including becoming the first Britons to win a C2 world title in 2013.
A year earlier they stood on the second step of the medal rostrum at London 2012 behind fellow Brits Etienne Stott and Tim Baillie.
And while the responsibility falls on Hounslow and Florence this time around to ensure Team GB retain the C2 Olympic title in Rio, the former insists it would be foolish to think too far ahead with the medal races not taking place until Thursday.
“You can never be disappointed with an Olympic medal, so a silver or bronze I would still be very proud of, but my goal is gold, that’s what I’ve got in my thoughts,” said the nine-time world championship medallist.
“But you can’t get too carried away with that.
“It’s about focussing on myself, putting a run down that I can be proud of and say ‘that’s the best I could have done’.
“If that’s gold then that’s brilliant, if it’s not then I got beaten by someone better on the day. That’s sport and that’s what you have to live with.”
Having enjoyed the benefit of home advantage for his Olympic debut in London, Hounslow faces a different proposition this time around.
But with the sport of canoe slalom demanding the athlete pick out the best route to follow on the course, Hounslow and co have been ensuring they are as best prepared as possible.
“London was my first Olympics, it was a home Olympics so this will be a very different experience,” he added.
“We didn’t have to do too much travelling in 2012, we were living right on the doorstep.
“But over the last six months we’ve been out to Rio five or six times for training camps and test events. It’s been pretty full on.”
Sportsbeat 2016