Much has been made of the fantastic facilities at the Olympic Village in and the aquatic centre in Beijing.

But while, Cook is the first to acknowledge that the amenities are first class, he says only he, and he alone can make a difference in the pursuit of the Olympic dream.

He said: "When you are in the water it is about you and nobody else.

"It's about getting your mind and your focus right and giving it you maximum.

"At this level there is likely to be a couple of hundredths of a second between first place and 16th, and you have to tell yourself that if you can go that 100th of a second faster it could make all the difference.

"Swimming is unlike most sports in that you don't really think about your competitors.

"It's not as if they will stray across into your lane, so you are just focused on making your turns properly, swimming as quick and as well as you can, and getting the job done."

Cook is no stranger to medal success, having won double gold at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006, with victories in the 50m breaststroke and 100m breaststroke, and also taking silver in the 4x100m medley relay.

But he admits he was disappointed with his display at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and feels he is in the right frame of mind to do himself justice this time around.

"I think I put too much pressure on myself in Athens," he said.

"It's every swimmer's dream to compete at the Olympics, and I think the occasion got to me a little bit.

"When you go to the Olympics for the first time it can be a bit distracting.

"It's like being in a room with a very loud TV. You try to focus on the job you have to do, but you keep getting distracted.

"Hopefully though if you have been there before it is easier to deal with.

"This time I am just trying to relax before the race and not get too caught up in everything going on around me.

"I am focused on the first heats and doing well there. Nothing will distract me from that, as it is all I'm thinking about."

Cook and the rest of the British Olympic squad have been at a training camp in Maccau Japan for the past two weeks gearing up for the Games.

And while the City of Newcastle swimmer says things could have gone better for him, he insists he isn't far off his best.

He said: "I wasn't swimming as fast as I would have liked out in Japan, but I was not worried about it.

"It sometimes happens like that, and since we got here (Beijing) I have been working hard to fine-tune little bits here and there.

"I haven't had too do anything drastic, just focus on one or two things and give them a little tweak.

"Hopefully, that will mean in top condition for the heats and that is all I am focused on for now."