WELSH sporting legend Colin Jackson has war-ned Newport's Olympic hopeful Christian Mal-colm to remain focused or risk missing out on going to Athens altogether.

Jackson, who knows all about Olympic heartache after failing to win a medal in three attempts, believes that Malcolm should only worry about the Olympics after he makes sure he is on the plane.

Jackson said: "Unfortunately in athletics nothing is set in stone and you cannot just say that you will be going, especially in Christian's event where there are a lot of people who are very good."

"There is an opportunity to finish first or eighth in the trials so he has to stay focused. Once he does that, he can then think about the Olympic games."

He added: "If he has a dodgy day at the Olympic trials it would really count against him, so the number one thing for him is to just focus on getting there."

Malcolm has had an indifferent season, punctuated by injury, but Jackson believes that he can make the squad and make an impression,

He said: "Once he qualifies it will be very easy and natural for him to go there.

"Christian has been to major championships and the Olympics before and he knows what it is all about and I think that by now he really knows what it takes to win.

"He realises that it takes not just solely talent but extraordinary effort as well."

An Olympic medal is the only accolade that escaped Jackson during his glorious career that includes world records in the 110m hurdles and the 60m hurdles indoor (he still holds both), but he believes that the British sprinters can achieve that feat in Athens and that the USA, who are the dominant force in world sprinting, are wary of the Brits.

He said: "The America's are always watching how the British sprinters are getting on, keeping an eye on us. "That is because our sprinters are genuinely at the world class level, so they are watching carefully. No-one is really dominating these events at the moment so there are chances for us to be in there.

"The key is that we believe that we can do well as a nation, it is just the case that we have to fall the right side of the line.

"All we are missing are athletes who are consistently in the top two of the world. The strength in depth at the moment is pretty good, we just need to nudge it up another rung or so."

l Christian Malcolm is currently in the UK Athletics holding camp in Cyprus. The 200m sprinter is at the GB training centre in Cyprus finishing off his warm weather training along with sprint partner Mark Lewis-Francis before the start of the outdoor season and the Olympic trials in Manchester in July.