British gymnasts usually travel to the Olympic Games more in hope than expectation.
Thanks to the emergence of Louis Smith that is not the case in Beijing as Britain look to end their 80-year medal drought in the sport.
The Huntingdon-based 19-year-old emerged as a force to be reckoned with on the pommel horse with a bronze medal at the 2007 world championships.
That performance followed on from the Commonwealth title in 2006 and he also won gold at the 2007 Australian Youth Olympic festival in Sydney.
Smith has the ideal physique for the pommel horse - long arms attached to a slender frame.
He will not be the most graceful competitor in Beijing but is, however, well suited to the new scoring system that rewards the execution of difficult routines.
The advent of lottery funding has allowed Britain's best gymnasts to train and prepare full-time, a welcome change that has helped instil the self-belief required to compete with the traditional powerhouse nations, whose lavish state-funded programs usually dominate the quadrennial showpiece.
Smith's best chance of standing on the top step of podium is likely to come on home soil in London in four years time.
In sport, however, the future often arrives earlier than expected.
