By Peter Hilton, PA Sport

It will be brilliant.

We are assured of that by none other than James Hickman, the City of Leeds swimmer who has every chance of being Britain's face of the Olympics in week one.

He could well be right. There is every reason to suppose the swimming programme in Sydney will be brilliant.

The competition will be fierce, emotions will run high and the crowd will be partisan and passionate.

This is Australia, the natural home of the sport.

When James Hickman equalled his own British record for the 100 metres butterfly to the hundredth of a second at the Olympic trials in Sheffield at the end of July, he at first expressed a hint of irritation.

One hundredth of a second quicker and the record would have fallen. On reflection, however, he changed his mind.

"I'm not sure now whether I wanted to have gone faster," he said.

"It certainly showed the sparkle was there, which was great, but wouldn't it be better to break the record in Sydney?

"If you're going to swim well, that's the place to do it. Not just because it's the Olympics but because it's Australia.

"They love swimming and they understand the sport so well.

"It's like being a footballer and playing brilliantly in China.

"You really don't want to be doing it in China because they couldn't appreciate it properly.

"You want to be doing it back here in the Premiership in front of crowds who know what's happening.

"The Australians know when a swimmer is performing well. That's what I mean."

Hickman was not denigrating the knowledge of the people who watch the sport in Britain. He was simply expressing a truth.

Great performances are all the better for a great stage, whether it is Hurst at Wembley, Pavarotti at La Scala or the Beatles at Shea Stadium.

So we have the right venue. How else might it be brilliant?

Well, speak it softly, but this may just be the Games in which Britain's finest banish the spectre of failure and finally fulfil their potential.

That may not mean a cascade of medals because the heat of competition will be merciless and split seconds will separate the great from the good.

But it should at least mean finalists - plenty of them.

"In Britain in the past it used to be the case in most events that you would get just the one really good swimmer," said Hickman.

"It's changed over the last four years. Now there are plenty of events where there are more than one. It's great for British swimming."

It has been a double-edged sword for Hickman, though.

As a short-course world champion and world record-holder in the 200m butterfly, he could reasonably have expected to go to Sydney with his main opponents emerging from the four corners of the world.

Instead, Stockport-born Hickman has found a fierce rival 35 miles down the M62 in Liverpool. His name is Stephen Parry.

The 200m butterfly final was the race the crowd at Ponds Forge in Sheffield most wanted to see when the Olympic trials got under way.

They were not disappointed because it became a terrific head-to-head between two world-class swimmers as they turned for the final leg. But Hickman lost, and there was no hiding his disappointment.

"Of course I looked disappointed," he said.

"I never like coming second, especially when it's a close race. I get on well with Stephen out of the pool but in the water we want to beat each other.

"I've beaten Stephen quite often, but he's always been there in the shadows and now he's out of the shadows. I used to be the hunted but now I'm the hunter.

"If I'd won, I don't think I would have come away from Sheffield and questioned my race or asked myself how I could go faster. But losing has made me do that and I certainly think there are things I can do to improve. In that sense, I've taken something positive from it."

Something else he can be positive about is the fact he qualified for Sydney in three events - the 100m and 200m butterfly and 200m medley. It means he must be prepared to swim 11 races in eight days if he is to achieve his ambition of appearing in three finals.

That is why the ubiquitous Hickman is likely to be Britain's face of the Olympics during the pre-athletics week.

Always ready to give a poolside interview after his swims, his natural, wide-eyed exuberance has a childlike naivety that makes him appealing to TV audiences.

They will get plenty of opportunity to ride the rollercoaster with him.

"I know it will be a hectic schedule, but I swam nine times in four days at the trials so the Olympics will be spread out a bit more," he said.

"The medley is my third event, so to speak, and some people may think it's a distraction from my main events.

"But I'm the type of person who loves to have something to do and I want something to go at that means it's not just butterfly all the time."

In fact, he has joked in the past that it was his parents' need to use up the non-stop energy of a hyperactive kid that first got him into swimming and gymnastics as a child back in Stockport.

Both were sports he shone at, but in the end it came down to a choice because there were only so many hours in a day. Swimming won.

"Gymnastics was good fun," he said.

"But I'm glad I fell on the side of swimming.

"We reckon we work very hard for not much recognition, but it's probably more so for the gymnasts."

There have been many medals in the 18 years since that first splash in the pool when he was just six.

There have also been long hours of commitment to the cause, latterly with coach Terry Denison in Leeds where a week's training might consist of 20 hours swimming, three hours with weights, three hours of 'land' training and stretching and an hour's massage.

There must be time for fun, of course, and that means football - and supporting Manchester City.

He speaks with passion on the subject.

"I listened to City playing Blackburn on Radio 5 Live on the internet when I was in Arizona at the end of last season (City came from behind for a 4-1 victory).

"We had to win - what a match! It's great to be in the Premiership and I'm sure we won't go straight back down.

"Joe Royle has done a fantastic job. If we stay up we can build from that and with our great support who knows - we could be rivalling Manchester United.

"I've checked the fixtures and the big one is at Maine Road on Saturday, November 18.

"I'd love to be at the derby game but there will be a big demand for tickets. Maybe if I win a gold medal City will give me one!"

Ah yes, Olympic gold medals. That is the dream.

"I must shoot for the stars and then I might reach the moon," said Hickman.

"If I only shoot for the moon I might not even get there. I'm aiming for medals. I'm aiming for gold."

Now wouldn't that be brilliant.