By Jim van Wijk, PA Sport

The majority of Britain's medal hopefuls heading to the Sydney Olympics next month have prepared themselves both mentally and physically for an assault in their chosen event. Not so Simon Lessing.

The South-African born triathlete, who chose to compete for his maternal country when he turned 18, must psyche himself up for a gruelling combination of a 1.5km swim followed by a 40km cycle ride and rounded off with a 10km run - all three events completed in around one hour and 45 minutes.

In a similar vein to the ten-eventers of the decathletes, Lessing faces the daunting task of preparing himself for the dramatic change in discipline.

"Simon always has a hard time finding someone to train with him," says his wife Lisa. "It's not that no one will train with him, it is just difficult to find someone who can push him to his limits."

That is certainly not an understatement when you look back at Lessing's record.

He has won 13 gold medals in major events over the past four years and that impressive run included three World Championships, to add to the title he first won back in 1992.

His current form makes him one of Britain's best prospects for gold in Sydney, but Lessing is not making any bold predictions.

"I've been very consistent in the last two years in my racing. Because of that I feel fairly confident that I have the capability of doing really well," he said.

"I know I have a chance. I'm going to Sydney and I'll be on the start line knowing I've done as much as I can."

Lessing, who was awarded the MBE earlier this year, will complete his final preparations for the Olympics when the International Triathlon Union World Cup series heads for Brisbane on September 3.

However he claims he will resist the temptation of tackling the Sydney course before the event itself.

"I haven't raced the course, and I won't before the Olympics," he said. "It's not complicated. It's fairly straightforward.

"I visited the course and the facilities as part of a visit to Australia at the end of '99 to check out the British Olympic holding camp facilities."

Born in Cape Town before moving to Durban at the age of nine, Lessing was brought up in a warm climate which would seem to suit triathletes, although he maintains the weather in Sydney could prove a deciding factor.

"Triathlon is pretty much a summer sport, and athletes are used to racing in the heat," he said.

"There aren't too many races now that are in a cold climate, so with the Olympics being in the Australian spring, the likelihood of it being fairly cold is quite high."

Lessing now resides in the United Kingdom at Bath and has no regrets about competing for Great Britain, qualifying for citizenship as his mother was born in England.

"As an 18-year-old it was a huge eye-opener as I had never left isolated South Africa before," he said.

"It was also an opportunity because at the time South Africa was banned from competing in international sport and moving to England gave me the chance to pursue an international sporting career under the British flag."

Despite him playing down his prospects in Sydney, Lessing could suddenly find himself thrown into the spotlight should he capture the gold medal.

He said: "It is very unrealistic to say I'm going to win this medal or that. There are a lot of outside factors than can affect results.

"There are five or six guys who have a chance. A lot can go right and a lot can go wrong. It is one key race, not a series like the World Cup. We are focusing on a one hour 45 minute effort."

Lessing is also quick to point out that he is not the only Briton with a chance of a medal in the triathlon.

Andrew Johns - overall winner of the 1999 ITU World Cup series - will undoubtedly be in contention and Marc Jenkins has the potential to be in the hunt for the podium.

"If you look at it realistically, the Brits have been dominant since 1992," said Lessing. "Great Britain has had the men's world champion more than any other country.

"Britain has a very, very strong team and has always had excellent performances at major championships. The men's division is completely open. It certainly won't be an Aussie dominance like they expect it to be."

But Lessing also knows that like all events, he will need a slice of luck to come home in front.

He said: "On a given day luck always plays a part and circumstances which are out of your hands can play a role as well.

"You can have your goggles kicked off in the swim, that's going to disorientate you and you have to try and get through that.

"You can get a flat tyre and your race is over right there and then. If someone breaks up the pack in the cycling, you're going to have to chase, because if you don't chase there's a risk they can get away."

Lessing had to settle for second place at the ITU World Championships in Montreal last year when he was outpaced by Dmitry Gaag of Kazakstan in the final kilometre.

"I had put in a fair bit of effort the last lap to create that gap," said Lessing afterwards. "When he came by, with 500 metres left, I couldn't go with him. And that is life."

But come September and Sydney, few would expect him to make the same mistake again.