Adam Gemili was playing non-league football just five years ago - now he’s hoping for a captain’s performance at the Olympics.
The 22-year old will line up in today’s 200m heats brimming with confidence after a season’s best 22.07 seconds at the Anniversary Games in London.
Usain Bolt, fresh from his 100m victory, will, of course, be favourite but the British track and field team captain believes he can get in the medal mix.
Gemili was the breakthrough star of 2012, fast-tracked into the Olympic team just weeks after winning a world junior title and just months after he quit his football ambitions to focus on athletics.
Since then he’s become the first British sprinter to go below ten seconds for the 100m and 20 seconds for the 200m, in addition to winning Commonwealth silver and European gold over 200m two years ago.
"I have to keep that belief every day that I can go out there and win the gold,” said Gemili.
“I have the confidence that I'll go out there and medal. Fingers crossed I'll do my best and hopefully we see a medal.
“As crazy as that sounds with the talent that there is in the world, if I think any other way then I'm never going to achieve that.
"If I'm aiming just to be a lane-filler then that's probably the best I'm ever going to get.”
Four years ago that self-belief served Gemili well, finishing third in his semi-final, just four hundredths of a second off a surprise place in the final.
Gemili was third behind Bolt and Alonso Edward in his last Diamond League race and was also part of the British quarter that won 4x100m gold at the European Championships in Amsterdam.
And the prospect of taking on Bolt, who will be aiming to complete the a hat-trick of sprint doubles, only motivates him more.
“My season didn’t start well for a variety of reasons but there’s no point running fast times in April, May and June,” he added.
“I consider myself very lucky to be competing in the era of Usain Bolt. If you are in the same race as him then you are doing something right, that’s my view.
“He’s a phenomenal athlete, a legend. Imagine defending your Olympic title twice, that’s remarkable.
“You can’t fail to learn watching him. However, I’m not in awe, I’m focused on my own race and executing that to the best of my ability.”
Sportsbeat 2016