By Nicole Jeffery
THE AUSTRALIAN
July 27^th , 2010

TWO years from today, the Australian team will march into the main stadium at the 2012 London Games.

It's clear intention is to challenge if not defeat the British team in its backyard.

Midway through the Olympic cycle, the traditional rivals remain on a collision course as the countdown to London begins in earnest.

Despite the national team's slide from fourth to sixth on the Beijing medal

tally, accompanied by Britain's rise to fourth, the Australian Olympic Committee remains committed to a top-five finish on the medal tally in London. The British Olympic Association has most recently modified its aim from a top-five finish to top six.

AOC president John Coates insists that a top-five finish (45-50 medals) is still a realistic target for Australia, which is being seriously out-spent by its European rivals.

"I think there have been some encouraging results this year -- cycling has been a lot better, we have had some very good sailing results, there seems to be more medal potential in track and field and the team sports basketball and hockey are going well," Coates said.

"But as always the sport that will determine it all is swimming (which usually provides one-third of Australia's medals). I am not saying that we can beat them (Britain) yet, but we are holding our own and if the new government funding comes in quickly, we could still get some benefit from that this year."

The leading Olympic sports -- swimming, cycling, athletics, rowing, sailing -- all expect to profit from the $120 million boost for high performance sport that the federal government will begin to roll out in the next three months.

Rowing, in particular, will need all the help it can get, given the growing strength and depth Coates sees in the British team.

However, athletics and cycling are already making good headway in the run to London.

The cycling team won three gold and two silver medals in Olympic events at the world track titles in Denmark in March, as Cameron Meyer emerged as a new star, and the athletics team is at its strongest for at least a decade.

Steve Hooker and Dani Samuels won world titles last year and hurdler Sally Pearson (nee McLellan), long jumpers Mitchell Watt and Fabrice Lapierre and walker Jared Tallent are also proven performers at the highest level.

The swimming team is evolving following the retirements of Grant Hackett and Libby Trickett.

Stephanie Rice, Leisel Jones, Brenton Rickard and Eamon Sullivan will be among the mainstays, while the emerging group includes teens Emily Seebohm, Yolane Kukla and Katie Goldman.

Coates has earmarked gymnastics as a sport capable of producing its first medals in London, after Lauren Mitchell's two silvers at last year's world titles. Sailing also continues to forge ahead, led by 470 double-handed dinghy gold medallist Malcolm Page, who won the world title with new skipper Mathew Belcher last week.

Laser sailor Tom Slingsby and 49er skipper Nathan Outteridge have bounced back from disappointing Beijing campaigns to claim multiple World Cup wins this year.

AOC sports director Fiona de Jong has also tracked a new generation of potential Olympic stars. They include 1500m runner Ryan Gregson, 20, pole vaulter Liz Parnov, 16, and diver James Connor, 15, who will make their Commonwealth Games debuts in October.

The AOC expects to send about 430 athletes to London, led by new chef de mission, former Oarsome Foursome rower

Nick Green.