Anna Meares can "smell" the Olympic Games, but her coach has laid down a challenge to raise the bar and make sure Australia's track cycling queen adds another chapter to her remarkable career.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Meares has ramped up her training as the Rio Olympics edges closer, with just 265 days left to find the winning edge to claim back-to-back gold medals.
The two-time Olympic champion has set her sights on more success and wants to be a role model for Australia's emerging athletes who have gold-medal dreams.
But first coach Gary West says Meares has to pour all of her energy into improving on her Olympic efforts three years ago.
West revealed Meares' motivation had "ebbed and flowed" since her triumphant moment in London and was adamant a repeat performance wouldn't be good enough to keep her title.
"Anna would be the first to agree that she's had moments of doubt and possibly concern [over the past three years]," West said.
"But I can say with hand on heart that over the last three or four months her training has been exceptional.
"She's well and truly meeting standards and ticking boxes as far as I and her other coaches are concerned. We're not kidding ourselves though.
"The standard has lifted, as it does every four year cycle. Anna would understand that she needs to lift again, she'll be challenged. What she did in London was exceptional but that's not going to cut the mustard come Rio. We need to take her to another level."
West and Meares were in Canberra this week for an inaugural athlete and coaching forum designed to create better collaboration across sports and improve athlete knowledge.
Meares has won a staggering 11 world championships and is a two-time Olympic gold medal winner.
At 32 years old, she will shoulder the responsibility of leading Australia's cycling team to Rio and the weight of expectation as she chases personal success.
"For me, it's starting to get to the point where you can smell it. The Olympics are very close now," Meares said.
"When you're the athlete in that four-year cycle, it goes slow and then all of a sudden, wham, it's there.
"I have great faith and back the program we've had for the past three years. I'm confident I'll be in Rio in my best condition to give it a shake."
Meares is taking on a mentor role as well as she helps usher through young riders and help them cope with the intense scrutiny that comes with Olympic selection.
In the lead-up to the Games in London, Meares shut down her social media activity, media commitments and appearances to allow her to focus on her gold-medal target.
It worked, with Meares winning the sprint event and then helping Australia claim bronze in the team sprint.
"There are some really incredible athletes and people in the Australian team ... interacting with them gives me inspiration and lifts me, that's what drives me," Meares said.
"There's a level of addiction that comes along with being an Olympic athlete. Not many people focus on four-year cycles, but that's what we do.
"[Shutting everything down] worked well for me last time. Sometimes a bit of peace and quiet is hard to find so my availability will be closed down going into the Games. It can be hard to tune out and switch off."
