Ben Pattison is keeping a well-trained eye on the opposition as he started his Olympic 800m campaign at the Stade de France.
Last year Pattison arrived in Budapest ranked 16th in the world, only to win world bronze, the first British man to claim a global medal over two laps since Peter Elliott in 1987.
It means he is no longer able to fly under the radar, ranked fifth in the world this season after a 1:42.27 personal best at the Diamond League in Monaco.
"I know the numbers going into championships aren’t the numbers coming out of championships, so I can’t go into the heats thinking I can win this easily," he said, after winning his heat to join teammates Max Burgin and Elliott Giles in the next round.
"Every step of the way I need to be diligent and almost treat every round like the final. In the men’s 800m run, anyone can beat anyone.
"I need to just stay on my toes. I feel like I proved that last year, to be wary of people like me last year, probably coming in a bit under the radar in good shape."
That's a brilliant finish by GB's Ben Pattison ⚡
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 7, 2024
Cole Palmer celebration at the end too? 🥶#Olympics #Paris2024 #BBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/Msm7dyfOhN
Last year Pattison revealed he'd undergone life-saving surgery in 2021, after his heart rate had skyrocketed to 250 beats per minute.
"My coach will probably say otherwise, and it probably looked otherwise, but I felt confident I would win the race the whole time," he added.
"I had a bit of work to do around the top bend, to get into a position where I could kick, but I felt good and I just had to back myself and trust my training."
Giles thought he had missed the chance to make a third Olympics appearance following a fall in the closing stages of the British Championships but was drafted in to replace the injured Jake Wightman.
"Five days ago, I was still in a camp in the Swiss mountains," said the former European bronze medallist.
What a run by Team GB's Elliot Giles 🇬🇧🔥
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 7, 2024
Called up as a replacement for an injured Jake Wightman, now he's into the 800m semi-finals 👊#Olympics #Paris2024 #BBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/uFPLKrdmHZ
"Now I’m at the Olympics, competing on the biggest stage, after having five weeks of thinking I’m not going. It’s wild.
"I stayed ready. I didn’t think there was any chance of me going, but I just said to myself, ‘I’m an athlete first, I’m not going to go out and party with my friends. Not going to go out and drink or do things that are easy to do when you don’t make the team.’ I stayed professional."
Sportsbeat 2024