Steve Cram believes London 2012 could signal the start of a golden age of British athletics.
GB legend is impressed with new talent coming through
Steve Cram thinks London 2012 could herald the start of a new golden age in British athletics judging by the advances some of the sport's youngest Olympic hopefuls have made this year.
British athletes have started the season in impressive fashion as they chase qualifying standards, with up-and-coming names especially at the forefront.
Andy Pozzi, the 19-year-old hurdler smashed his personal best twice in two days, achieving the Olympic 'A' standard at the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) championships - also doubling as the athletics test event in the Olympic stadium last weekend.
Former world youth champion, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, also 19, defied torrential rain to achieve the 'B' standard in the heptathlon as well as breaking the national junior record set by Jessica Ennis at a meeting in Italy.
Sophie Hitchon, 20, twice extended her British hammer record in California, throwing the 'A' standard, while 20-year-old discus thrower Lawrence Okoye, the British record holder, is ranked four in the world this year.
Future
Cram admits that this summer's Games will come too soon for most of them to challenge for a medal, yet he feels their progress bodes well for the future.
He said: "I think we've got a good crop of new young athletes coming through, people like Pozzi, Holly Bleasdale (the world indoor pole vault bronze medallist).
"At the weekend Katarina broke Jess Ennis' age record in the heptathlon.
"I know (Pozzi's coach) Malcolm (Arnold) has been raving about him since the indoor season about how good a summer he's likely to have.
"It's important someone like that gets to the Olympics and gets some experience because his big chance is going to come maybe in three or four years' time.
"There's a lot of good new talent coming through which might not win medals in London - although Holly's got a good chance I guess - but I think that's always what you want.
"There're a lot of good new athletes coming through, people like (18-year-old sprinter) Jodie Williams, a lot of exciting talent around.
"I would hope these games would give some of those young athletes a chance, because the vast majority of people who win a medal do so at their second or third Games. I think statistically it's around 80% in athletics.
"Hopefully a lot of the people who make the team as very good youngsters will go on and win medals at future Games."
Promising
Charles van Commenee, the UK Athletics head coach, has set an ambitious target of eight medals in London, and Cram believes the early-season signs are promising.
The former 1,500m world record holder added: "I think things have started pretty well.
"People are chasing qualifying standards a bit earlier than they might have done, trying to get that out of the way. You can understand why. There are quite a few that have managed to do that already which bodes well.
"You have to hope people are not peaking too early, it's a long way to go before the Games, but it's important that people just want to make sure they're there first of all.
"I've been quite surprised by the fact we're in the second week of May and we've already had quite a lot of good performances, although it (success in London) will be measured by medals obviously.
"I think eight is a tough target. Six would be a decent result, eight would be fantastic, three or four would be very disappointing. But I think eight is possible."
