McIntosh wants to erase her memories of Super Saturday

Everyone remembers where they were on Super Saturday four years ago but while all that glittered was gold, Jen McIntosh was in a dark place.

That day will forever be remembered for Team GB winning six times as many gold medals in a single day as it did at the entire 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

From Eton Dorney to the Olympic Stadium, it seemed they had God Save The Queen stuck on a loop.

But for McIntosh it was a day of disappointment in her own personal Olympic performance, a 36th and 42nd place in the 10m and 50m rifle respectively.

And a day when the long road to Rio started, just hours after walking off the range at the Royal Artillery Barracks.

"I started thinking about 2016 almost as soon as my competition finished in London. I knew I was better than that,” said McIntosh, who begins her 50m rifle event today.

“I think I'll define my career by what I do at an Olympics and that was not good enough.

"I expect a lot of myself, I'm a very demanding person. In many ways London was a huge disappointment, my results were really bad and I didn't perform when I needed to.

"I picked up an ear infection just before the Games and it really threw me because my balance was totally off.

"I had to deal with everyone saying the Olympics was amazing while knowing that my experience was completely different. I think that's only driven me forwards towards Rio, I want a good Olympic experience and want to do myself proud.”

McIntosh has been keen to seek a low-key build-up to these Games. In London she struggled in the glare as the first medal hope on the opening morning of competition.

But the pressure was really on at the Commonwealth Games, where a silver and bronze  secured her place as Scotland's most decorated women medallist in Games history.

"Nothing is ever going to be as scary as London and, for me, in Glasgow was even greater pressure because there was a huge expectation on me. I feel I can deal with anything now," she added.

"I really thrive on the extra pressure of an Olympics. It's a big step up from Commonwealth Games to the Olympics but the experiences are very similar and most of the pressure comes from inside anyway.

"Our family is not just shooting obsessed but sports obsessed, so the Olympics is always talked about at the dinner table and maybe that's why I put such pressure on myself.

"However, it feels very different this time around. In London I got to compete because we had a host nation place but this time I've earned that selection and that only gives you more confidence.

"It's satisfying to know I'm in the team because of my own hard work and it's nice to be rewarded for that."