Leading medal hope Andrea Hewitt says she's in the best shape of her career heading into the Olympic triathlon.
Hewitt has been keeping out of the London spotlight in the lead up to the Games, which open at the Olympic Stadium on Friday night.
The 30-year-old Cantabrian has been based in Sete, in the south of France, for the past month as she fine tunes her preparation for her event in and around Hyde Park on August 4.
Hewitt's partner and coach, Laurent Vidal, will be in London with her, competing for France in the men's event on August 7.
"Everything has been going well in training and, in comparison to other races I've done, I feel better than I ever have before," she said.
"Laurent has been great in training and tells me honestly whether I'm where I need to be, which has given me good confidence."
Unlike the other New Zealanders in the triathlon squad, Hewitt decided to miss the sprint event in Hamburg last weekend to continue working on her build-up.
Her last race on the international circuit was just over a month ago, when she finished third in Austria in the Kitzbuehel round of the world series.
While she knows it's the Olympics, she is treating the occasion like any other in terms of training and travel.
Hewitt, who finished eighth in Beijing four years ago, usually arrives three days before competing, and will do the same for the London.
"I'll watch the opening ceremony on TV and get into the mood that way," she said.
"I won't have to change my training for the travel and it's just going to be like a normal race."
NZN