by Alex Hoad at the Olympic Games

Jack Green thinks the home crowd could inspire a big personal best from him at the Olympic Games and insists he can compete for a medal with the world’s best.

The 20-year-old 400m hurdler, originally from Snodland before moving to Hythe, arrived in the athletes village on Tuesday after a training camp in Portugal and in his usual bullish style said ‘I’m here to push for a medal.’

Green – who trains under acclaimed coach Malcolm Arnold at Bath University - is the European under-23 champion, but this will be his first Olympics.

Green has been drawn in lane seven in the final heat of the round, around 11.50am this morning (Friday) with the semi-finals at 7pm on Saturday and the Final on Monday (8.45pm).

Green (pictured) said: ““All the hard work’s been done and I’m looking forward to getting on the track on Friday.

“When I go out there I’ll just be thinking ‘win the heat, do the job.’

“It’s a business way of looking at it. This is my job, and my job is to make the semi-final, then make the final, then push for a medal. That’s what I’m here to do and that’s what I plan to do.”

Former Saltwood Primary and Brockhill Park School pupil Green recorded his best ever time of 48.60secs infront of a large British crowd at Crystal Palace last month, having set his previous best of 48.98 infront of a packed house at Birmingham last year.

He said: “Obviously a home crowd has some kind of effect on me and those crowds were not as big as the one will be competing infront of here in London.

“You never know, it might spur me on to another huge PB.”

Green crashed out in the semi-finals of the World Championships in Daegu last year and admitted: “This is about making up that... I’m not in the sport to be an extra, I don’t want to be an extra, I never will.

“My plan is to become the best in the world. I’m only 20 now and obviously you’ve got people like (World Champion) Dai Green and (Puerto Rican World Leader) Javier Culson, but I can definitely be up there and challenging for those top spots.”

Green also revealed his idol growing up was often-controversial US sprinter Maurice Greene.

He said: “I’m a confident guy myself and as a kid, having the same name appealed to me.

“Sport these days is entertainment more than anything. That’s what I’ll aspire to be at some point – an entertainer - but I need to start running quick enough that I can.”

Green will also run in the 4x400m relay, with the heats on Thursday, August 9, at 11.35am and the final the following night.