HE'S returned to running with a mission to become the ''greatest sprinter Australia's ever seen'' and boasts he now has a ''mindset that nothing can break''.
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But newly-crowned 100 metres national champion Josh Ross limped away from Canberra yesterday, unable to run in his two events at the AIS Pro-Am Track Carnival after straining his groin
The 31-year-old said it was a minor setback in his London Olympics bid.
The 2008 Olympian retired from athletics in 2009 after losing interest in the sport. But after a stint in the United States trialling for the NFL in a bid to ''create history and become the first Australian wide receiver the game's ever seen'', Ross returned to athletics, and he is hungry this time.
So what's changed?
''Everything. The Josh Ross who used to run was just a prototype, but this is the real deal this time,'' Ross said.
''I'm a different person, different athlete, different mind, I'm just on a different level overall. I'm stronger than I ever was and a better athlete than I ever was.''
Ross said the challenges he faced overseas built him up to where he is now, and he isn't lacking in self-confidence.
''Coming back to running with a mindset that nothing can break, I'm unstoppable. I'm hungrier, to break 10 seconds, to break the Australian record, become the greatest sprinter Australia's ever seen and one of the world's fastest men in the meantime,'' Ross said.
''I'm a man on a mission.
''To look back and say I made an Olympic final, I won a medal, I broke 10 seconds, I was the greatest. You know, I aim high, and that's just the way I think.''
Canberran Melissa Breen also made an appearance at yesterday's carnival.
Breen had been ''entered into everything'', including the women's and men's Gifts, but made a decision in the morning to shun the prizemoney on offer and focus on her chase of setting a 100m Olympic A-qualifying time.
By the time the 100m race was run, the sun had set on the AIS Stadium, and the temperature was well below being ideal for the sprinters.
Breen registered a time of 11.41 seconds, 0.12s outside of the elusive 11.29s, but she took positives out of the race.
''I'm really happy with it - another bloody headwind, but we've had to deal with them all season,'' she said.
Breen said her time was a consistent one, ''and that's what we aim for, to run consistent times in every condition''.
Breen and Ross will now head to meets in Japan with the goal of running Olympic qualifying times.