By Ian Gordon, PA Sport

Dean Macey is convinced he can emulate the Olympic feats of Britain's decathlon legend Daley Thompson - but not in Sydney this year.

Macey emerged from obscurity in Seville last year when he ran, jumped and threw his way to an unexpected silver medal in the World Championships - setting six personal bests in the 10 disciplines in a two-day drama that captured the attention of the nation.

But the former Canvey Island lifeguard is realistic enough to know that unless Czech world record holder and world champion Tomas Dvorak is completely off-form in Sydney then he will be battling for the lesser medals.

"If I come away from Sydney with a silver I will be happier than I was after the worlds last year," admitted Macey, who will not be 23 until December.

"Tomas is probably a stronger favourite for gold than Michael Johnson in the 400 metres. There is just too much in his armour he can call upon, he can produce the big one if needed.

"It is unrealistic for me to think I can beat him this year. If he is at his best then he should win, but I intend giving him a good run for his money."

Macey knows he is still a few years away from his peak when hopefully he can finally match the achievements of Thompson in athletics' toughest discipline.

Thompson is arguably Britain's greatest ever athlete, dominating his event from 1978 to 1986 during which time he won two Olympic golds, three Commonwealth Games crowns as well as two European and one world title.

Macey, whose silver in Spain did not quite outshine his bleach-blond hairdo, and Thompson could hardly be more unlike as people. But as athletes they both have a fierce competitive spirit which brings out their best in the heat of battle as Macey showed last year.

Thompson famously used to train on Christmas Day believing it would give him the edge over his rivals and for Macey the months of hard, lung-busting graft that lie behind two or perhaps three decathlons a year are also something he perversely enjoys.

"I don't think it is a proper session unless I am absolutely shattered at the end," he said. "I don't see the point of taking it easy."

The rigours of the event and the training took their toll early in Macey's career after he had won silver at the 1996 World Juniors in Sydney.

Macey suffered a stress fracture of the foot which needed a bone graft to be screwed into place by a metal plate which kept him out of action for well over a year.

But Macey is convinced that if he keeps his fitness then not only will he emulate Thompson - with Athens in 2004 the obvious target - but will also take the event into a new era by becoming the first to break the magical 9,000 point barrier.

Dvorak might beat him to the honour with his world record just six points shy of the figure, but even so Macey already has another target.

"When Tomas retires I want to be the one who takes the decathlon onto the next level," said Macey, who set his personal best of 8,556 points in Spain.

"I want to be the first man to score more than 9,000 points. If Tomas beats me to it, then my aim will have to be to go one point better than him.

"I honestly think that I have got four to five hundred points more. Five hundred would take me to the world record and that's what I'm looking for in the next few years."

Macey's first decathlon since Seville will be in Sydney's Olympic Stadium as a hamstring injury suffered on his return from a training stint in America in the spring forced him to miss a couple of major multi-events meetings and delay his competitive bow until recently.

In America Macey was training with rival Erki Nool, advised by Thompson in Seville, who has scored 8742 points this year - almost two hundred points more than the Briton's best but good enough for only third on the 2000 list behind Czech duo Dvorak (8900) and Roman Sebrie (8757).

"When I consider I was doing almost exactly what Erki was doing and he's come out and done eight-seven, I know had it not been for the injury then I'd be in pretty much the same sort of form," added Macey.

"The fact the Olympics are so late this year has been lucky for me. The hamstring injury set me back and would have ruined my season in any other year.

"If the Games weren't this late, there's no way I would be competing let alone hoping to challenge for a medal."

Macey is determined to win silver or bronze in Sydney although he acknowledges he faces a fight.

He said: "There are six athletes in the running for the other two medals, but I am confident of bringing back one of them.

"I have to score 8,700 points to be sure of a medal and that will be a big increase of 150 on my personal best.

"I need to have scored more than 4,600 by the end of the first day to be on target, otherwise I will have to pull something pretty big out of the bag."

Macey shrugged off his injury fears with a personal best in the long jump at a meeting in Enfield earlier this month and has also been setting new bests in other disciplines during training.