British track rider Mark Cavendish, who will be competing in the Omnium at the Rio Olympics, did not pull his punches when describing his aims.

"I'm aiming for gold and everything has been built around winning the Olympics. I'm not going in to try and get a bronze medal. I'm going to try and get a gold medal. If it happens, it happens; if it doesn't, it doesn't. But gold is definitely the aim," he told Sky Sports.

So far, the Olympics haven’t provided Cavendish with the successes that he has achieved elsewhere. He was the only British track athlete to return from China without a medal, finishing ninth in the Madison after being paired with Bradley Wiggins.

In London, the road race team was set up to support him, but he could only finish 29th.

He added: "I truly believe that in Beijing I was the strongest rider on the track. In London we were the strongest team in the race, but extraordinary factors meant that I didn't get the medals when I had done everything right leading up to them. It's either third time lucky [in Rio] or it's not meant to be. As a British athlete, it's a big thing. I'm proud to be British and I'm proud to represent the flag I was born under. Every time I put on my jersey to represent my country it's a big thing for me and the Olympics is the biggest thing you can do. I want to go represent my country at the highest level and win ultimately."