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Rio Olympics - Adam Gemili excited ahead of start of 200m campaign

07:00, 16 August 2016

updated: 07:18, 16 August 2016

Excited Adam Gemili hopes the biggest stage of all will bring the best out of him and he can return from Rio 2016 with at least one Olympic medal.

The Dartford sprint star, 22, is due to represent TeamGB in the 200m and the 4x100m in Rio and is preparing to take to the track for the heats of the 200m around 4.25pm BST on Tuesday afternoon.

Adam Gemili Picture: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
Adam Gemili Picture: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

He has endured a frustrating season so far thanks to injury and illness and his 200m time of 20.07secs at the London Anniversary Games last month - his final run-out before Rio - was his season's best by nearly a third of a second.

The 2014 European Champion admitted: "It's been a weird season for me. I've had a few injuries and niggles early, but I'm in a good place. I'm happy to go back to training, touch up on a few things and hopefully go and peak when it matters."

The 200m semis are at 2am on Wednesday night/Thursday morning with the final in the early hours of Friday, August 19.

Gemili added: "I wasn't happy with my execution (in London), I didn't run a great bend at all, I usually do. 20.07 at this point, I know I have got work to do but I can be challenging the world's best and by the time Rio comes I will give it my best shot to bring home a medal. I always seem to get my fastest times at the Championships - that's what I'm aiming for.

"I'm very excited. I'd have liked to get under 20 seconds but I know what I need to work on and hopefully I can get under that barrier in Rio, get myself in that final and be pushing for a medal."

While he is focused on his task of upsetting the likes of triple 100m champion Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin in the 200m, Gemili's best chance of a medal seems likely to be as part of the relay team, as he helped GB's A team set a world-leading time at the London Anniversary Games, four years after a botched handover cost GB a medal shot at London 2012.

The former Dartford Grammar School pupil said: "We've got a great chance in the relay. We believe we have got great speed in the team and if we can get the baton round we can be pushing for gold.

"We're not there to make up the lanes, we're going there to win it and whoever we're racing, the Americans, the Jamaicans, it doesn't matter, we've got our own lane.

"If we get the baton round, which we've worked very hard on, we'll give it our best shot.

"I feel like I'm a lot more mature, more experienced than four years ago and we're out here to try and win, we're not here to get a good experience - we're here to challenge and compete to be the best.

"We're going to go for the gold and hopefully individually I will come back with some medals."

The relay heats are on Thursday afternoon with the final late on Friday night.

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