2011 crucial, says Gunnell

Gunnell won 400m hurdles gold at Barcelona 1992 and in capturing the world title a year later in Stuttgart she helped Great Britain to their most successful major championships since the 1984 Olympics.

At the 1993 World Championships, Great Britain captured ten gold medals – a feat they have not matched since – but with this year’s competition marking the last major international event before London 2012, UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee believes it’s high time that record was broken.

The Dutchman is charged with delivering at least ten medals at London 2012 – a target laid down by UKA chief executive Niels de Vos – and Gunnell believes the foundations must be laid at this summer’s World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

“There is no doubting that 2011 is a massive year for British athletes and it is a key time for everyone as the athletes need to show what they are capable of,” said Gunnell.

“There is no point in waiting for the time to get nearer to the Games, you need to show what you are capable of now and maintain that throughout the year which will be the difficult thing.

“Our athletes need to show they mean business right from the off and with that comes pressure but it will be how they deal with that pressure that will determine how successful they are at London 2012.

“Charles van Commenee is being a hard task master with the GB team but I think that is definitely what the team needs and I am all for aiming high.

“In a World Championship year before the Olympics I think you need to talk about getting medals to boost confidence and to get athletes used to the pressure that will come with a home Games.

“I know Charles has planned for something like more than double the medals we got at the last World Championships and it is a bit of a step up but it is one our athletes can manage and we should be coming back with medals this year.

“If they are to be ready in time for next year then they need to be delivering right now so I am all for the targets set by Charles.

“The whole experience of the World Championships will be vital for those with ambitions of London 2012 and they need to do well in Korea to get in the right shape for an Olympic final.”

Home advantage clearly has its perks and when it comes to athletics at the Olympics, home nations habitually boost their medal hauls.

Australia boosted their medal total from two to three at Sydney 2000 while Greece also increased their bounty from four to five at Athens 2004 – but home advantage can be an albatross around the necks of the athletes.

China won two gold medals at Athens 2004 but managed only two bronzes at Beijing 2008 as superstar hurdler Liu Xiang famously limped off the startline, provoking nationwide despair.

But Gunnell is tipping Great Britain’s to handle the added pressure – starting with the challenge that awaits in Korea.

“The only way we will get to see an athlete’s true colours and true ability is to see how they deal with expectation so to have it on them now will set them in good stead going forward,” she added.

“We have shown over the last couple of years that an athlete needs pressure to really show what they are all about and it helps them up their game.

“It will be hard getting those medals at the Olympics there is no doubt about it. It is not just a case of rocking up on the day. You have to put the work in and why not aim high in Korea?

“In a race there are athletes either side of you that are just as good as you, just as fast and have trained just as hard but are better prepared mentally and are more capable of dealing with the expectation.

“That is something our athletes need to get used to.”