As if last year wasn't hectic enough, Commonwealth Games gold favourite Chris Cook is facing up to the daunting prospect of two major international tournaments in the next six weeks. The South Shields-born swimmer - currently in Melbourne for the Games which start on March 15 - will follow up his exploits down under with a trip to Shanghai to compete in the World Championships at the beginning of April. But while the burden of expectation might prove too much for some, Cook remains refreshingly level-headed about his medal chances and can't help looking ahead to the next Olympics in 2008. "For me, the gold medal in any competition is what everyone goes for," says Chris. "I don't believe anybody enters a competition not wanting to win gold - it just doesn't make sense. "But I think it's about building up that portfolio of experience which moulds you as a person and helps you cope with the big ones, such as Beijing in two years time. "I'll be treating this like any other competition, with 100 per cent effort, but there is that scope to gamble and try out some new ideas. "The Commonwealth should be viewed as a dress rehearsal for the Olympics; it's not the be all and end all, but it's an important part of the step towards Beijing." Cook, who is currently Britain's No 1 in the 100 metre breaststroke rankings, believes his biggest challenge on the medal front will come from two of his English team-mates and, despite swimming being one of Australia's biggest sports, he believes that home advantage is not always a good thing. Chris says: "England's Darren Mew and James Gibson are going through as pretty strong favourites because their times are far in advance of my own. Those two are the ones that have pushed me out of games in the past and they're very experienced. "All you really need is an Aussie in one of your races and the roof is going to come off and get you excited. As soon as their name is called out, you're going to want to beat that person - the person with the home support." After winning bronze in the 4 x 50metre relay at last years European Championships, Chris goes into the games in Melbourne as one of the strong medal favourites, yet it's the support that he receives back home that motivates him the most. He also believes that the next Geordie Olympian is already plying their trade at his beloved Newcastle Swimming Club, where he's been a member since 1998. "Even when I've come out of the water and I've not achieved what I've wanted to, the kind words of support that everyone has given me has been so overwhelming," said Chris. "I got an anonymous card through the post the other day, simply wishing me luck, and it's nice to receive that kind of support. "I'm going to miss the North East while I'm away and I love the group that I train with now. They're so enthusiastic and you can see so much talent there ready to come through. "Newcastle has this heritage whereby when an existing Olympian is at the club, the next one is there waiting their turn. When Sam Foggo was an Olympian, Sue Rolph was coming through. When Sue was an Olympian, I was coming through, so history tells us that the next Olympian is there." And despite his modest approach when talk of medals is in the air, Chris, who will compete in the 50 and 100 metre breaststroke in Melbourne, still fancies his chances of becoming an Olympic champion before he calls it a day. "I'm in the top 10 in the world, but there's still a long way to go," he admitted. | 
