DARREN Mew is getting fed up with looking at his collection of bronze medals, writes KEVIN FAHEY.The Isle of Wight breaststroke swimmer has won them at the World and European Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

Mew's life has been consumed by the desire to win gold and join that illustrious group of British breaststroke champions which includes David Wilkie, Duncan Goodhew and Adrian Moorhouse.

Together with his long-time coach David Lyles absolutely nothing has been left to chance.

After the disaster of Sydney - when Britain didn't win a single medal in the pool - hopes are high this time under the tough new leadership of Aussie guru Bill Sweetenham.

Mew and Lyles have slipped effortlessly into his high-achieving regime and are hoping to reap the rewards in what promises to be one of the best races in the pool with James Gibson another British hope for a medal.

"Darren has been around a long time and has a huge collection of medals - perhaps the biggest collection of bronze medals in the world," said Lyles.

"That makes him very unhappy and it is not good enough.

"That is not what he trains for and why I coach him.

"In the last 12 months he has really moved up a gear in terms of preparation and self-belief.

"He has done a lot of things differently in his life to make him a better athlete and that has already paid off.

"He hasn't lost a race in a 50m pool this year from February in Australia when he broke their national record, to breaking the Commonwealth and British record in the trials.

"He hasn't been beaten by anyone and that is a great confidence-booster."

Lyles, who heads the Bath University swimming programme, has coached Mew, pictured, since he was a 17-year-old when he finished third in the European Junior Championships 100m breaststroke.

"He is a real cool character to work with, very receptive, quite laid-back, very focussed and determined," added Lyles.

"When Darren emerged in the late 90s he was British No 1 but he was in danger of not even making the team for Athens such is the competition in the breaststroke in this country.

"That has brought a new level of maturity and professionalism from him and whenever he has competed this year he has swum well."

As Lyles accepts, all that now counts for nothing.

"The proof of the pudding will be in the cauldron of Athens," he added.

Then we'll discover whether Mew can brighten up his medal collection.