Britain will do well to win more medals-Aussie chef

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.