THE Isle of Wight's top sportsman, Darren Mew, lines up for the 100m breaststroke in Athens tomorrow knowing he will never have a better chance to fulfil his boyhood dream of winning an Olympic medal.

Mew, 24, will be one of the first Britons in action as the eight-day swimming programme gets underway in the sun-kissed outdoor pool at 10am (8am British time).

More importantly, he will also be one of the most fancied, given his current world number three ranking and his fourth place on the all-time list.

Mew, from Totland Bay, has been in the form of his life all year and was the official world number one after recording a Commonwealth record time of 1min 00.02sec in the Olympic trials at Sheffield in April.

But that was before the American Brendan Hansen shuffled the pack by smashing the world record with a time of 59.30 in the US trials last month.

With world champion Kosuke Kitajima also clocking 59.78 in a domestic meet in his native Japan, Mew now finds himself third fastest of tomorrow's 64 starters.

But that may suit the Briton by taking some of the pressure off.

"Being number one in the world for a while felt good," said Mew, who started his competitive career on the Island as a nine-year-old.

"It gives you a good buzz and is a boost to your confidence. Everyone is chasing you.

"Before Hansen broke the world record, there were a lot of us within a very small time gap.

"To many he will start as favourite but in the final it will be down to who handles the pressure the best.

"It's been a good year for me and I can't wait to get in there and mix it up.

"Since I was a child I've wanted to win an Olympic medal and I'm going to go there and give it my best shot."

Apart from offering medal prospects, the event also gives Mew the chance to lay the ghosts that have haunted him for the last two years.

In Manchester in 2002, he was eclipsed by fellow Englishmen James Gibson and Adam Whitehead, who each grabbed a Commonwealth breaststroke title and left Mew a disappointed man with only a single bronze to show for his efforts in two finals.

He was outshone again in the world championships last year, when Gibson took gold and bronze in the 50 and 100m breaststroke while Mew - hampered by a knee injury - was reduced to the role of also-ran in both finals.

"After Manchester, it really hit me hard," he said. "But that has also been motivating for me. Everyone around me has been very supportive and the training has been fantastic."

He added: "The training has been going well and my stroke feels fantastic.

"It feels so comfortable and for the first time ever I feel totally in control.

"In the past my stroke used to spin a bit but not now.

"The training this year has been tough and that means standing up to race feeling far from 100 per cent.

"But when you race feeling knackered and still put in some fast times and beat good opposition, it gives you such a massive confidence boost."

Like other members of the British swim squad, Mew also speaks of the team spirit that has developed since the Australian coach Bill Sweetenham became national performance director four years ago.

"The team is fantastic," he said. "It's an individual sport but you can sense that the rest of the team are behind you."

Mew, who made his Olympic debut in Australia, hopes his Sydney experience will help him to cope with the pressure he will find himself under tomorrow and - hopefully - the final on Sunday and the medley relay later in the week.

"I swam in the medley relay final in Sydney. We were next to Australia who had a crowd of 18,000 going crazy for them.

"It was awesome. I gained so much experience. The Commonwealth Games and world championships aren't nearly the same.

"You can't compare them to the Olympics."