Sharks, jellyfish and iron men bar the road to gold

Simon Lessing will race against the backdrop of the Opera House and the majestic Harbour Bridge when the men's triathlon makes its debut on the Olympic stage here tonight.

If all goes to form, he should end the day as Britain's first gold medallist of the millennium. Lessing is the greatest ever exponent of a sport which began only in 1974, when a group of athletes in San Diego pleaded with their coach for some diversity in training. He suggested swimming, cycling and running, and they did all three.

Epitomised in its formative years by the Hawaii Ironman, a monstrous 140-mile (225km) endurance test, the event was slimmed down after the International Triathlon Union was formed in 1989. The distances they settled on consisted of a 1.5km (9.4-mile) swim followed by a 40km (25-mile) cycle ride and rounded off with a 10km (6.25-mile) run, and the new format gained Olympic approval in 1994.

At 18, Lessing left his native South Africa 11 years ago to avoid national service and to pursue his dream of turning professional and competing for Britain, where his mother was born.

Lessing, who will become the first South African Olympian to represent Britain since Zola Budd in 1984, was allowed to compete for his adoptive country only after declaring his opposition to apartheid. "As an 18-year-old [coming to Britain] was a huge eye-opener as I had never left isolated South Africa before," he said. "It was also an opportunity because at the time South Africa was banned from competing in international sport and moving to England gave me the chance to pursue an international sporting career under the British flag."

He has repaid Britain's faith, claiming a record five world titles and picking up an MBE in recognition. And unlike Budd, Britain will have every right to celebrate should he triumph here, for his is no red-white-and-blue vest of convenience. "I feel British," he said. "I have never considered going back to South Africa."

But he feels no pressure to bring home gold for the sake of national pride. "I've been in the sport for a long time and my main motivation is to myself," he said. "In the past I've felt I've been racing for sponsors, for other people, but now I'm just trying to satisfy my own expectations."

Even Australia's Craig Walton, his main rival for gold, concedes that Lessing will win if he is on form. "I'll do everything in my power to get rid of him and be racing by myself," said Walton yesterday. "But that may not work out."

Organisers expect 100,000 fans to pack the waterfront and race route through the heart of Sydney, with organisers hoping the spectacle will not include a shark attack on a competitor, a fear that has dominated the build-up. Six divers equipped with shark-repelling sonar devices will escort the triathletes through the harbour. It is not shark season, however, and they are unlikely to attack a group, preferring helpless stragglers.

A more realistic concern is jellyfish. The US triathlete Hunter Kemper was stung on the neck during a practice swim last weekend, though it was so mild he thought the wetsuit was chafing his skin. And then there is the 16C (61F) water. Some competitors said the shock of hitting the cold water took their breath away during the trial.

"Triathlon is pretty much a summer sport and athletes are used to racing in the heat," Lessing said. "There aren't too many races now that are in a cold climate, so with the Olympics being in the Australian spring the likelihood of it being fairly cold is quite high."

Lessing is not the only Briton with a medal chance. Andrew Johns, the overall winner of the 1999 ITU World Cup series, will undoubtedly be in contention, if he has shaken off a cold which has disrupted his recent preparations, and Tim Don, son of the former Premiership referee Phil, also has medal potential.

"If you look at it realistically, the Brits have been dominant since 1992," said Lessing. "Great Britain has had the men's world champion more than any other country. Britain has a very, very strong team and has always had excellent performances at major championships."

Lessing had to settle for second place in the world championships in Montreal last year when he was outpaced by Dmitry Gaag of Kazakstan in the final kilometre. That forced him to re-evaluate his Olympic preparations and he moved to Bath this year to train at the sport's centre of excellence after 10 years living in the south of France.

Also flying an adopted union flag will be Johns, who though born in Peterborough spent most of his life in Australia. He switched allegiance to Britain three years ago after failing to get the support of Australian triathlon authorities.

"I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity and support I've been given and think it would be great if I could give something back to the sport in Britain by winning a medal," he said.

"There is a definite possibility that we could come away with all the medals. Obviously there is Simon and myself, who are two outstanding favourites for the gold, and the third member, Tim, is a young guy who is probably the most outstanding talent to come through the junior ranks in triathlon ever. He is improving rapidly and could very well be right up there in Sydney."