Lewis Clareburt of New Zealand in action. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Swimmer Lewis Clareburt isn't feeling the same pressure he did three years ago on the Olympic starting blocks but he still isn't interested in whether outsiders believe he'll turn his world title into an Olympic medal.
After making two finals at the Tokyo Games in the 400m individual medley where he was seventh and the 200m individual medley where he finished eighth he has rapidly risen up the swimming ranks.
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In February he won the world title in the 400m individual medley in Doha creating a piece of New Zealand swimming history as the first male to be a world champion.
The Doha meet wasn't perfect - he finished off the podium in the 200m IM and 200m butterfly - but it has given him a confidence boost that some of the big changes he's made in the last year including changing coach and moving to a new training facility in a different city haven't slowed him down.
"Going in this Olympics I'm doing it for myself and my team not anyone else and I sorta have to block out the external people that are predicting positions.
"I feel like I'm a lot more relaxed and I know what I'm doing this time so hopefully that reflects in my racing.
"I've grown in confidence over the last 12 months especially since the world champs at the start of the year and I've found what works and I know that I'm capable of achieving better things than I have in the past and I think that's what is helping me get through."
Clareburt has a packed schedule in Paris. He will race in the 400m IM on day 2 of the Games, then the 200m butterfly and 200m IM either on the same day or a day apart.
"That is going to be quite interesting, we did the double in Doha and we didn't quite get it right but knowing now what it is going to take I think I've learnt a lot since then and we're going to be ready to do the triple."
Clareburt is not the first New Zealander in the pool in Paris with New Zealand's other world champion Erika Fairweather in action on day 1 in the 400m freestyle.
"I get goosebumps when you say Erika is setting the tone in the pool and the rest of the swimmers are going to be before me and it's quite exciting I can sit back and relax for the first day and see how they do."
Erika Fairweather reacts after winning the final of the women's 400m freestyle swimming event during the 2024 World Aquatics Championships. Photo: MANAN VATSYAYANA
Clareburt will be a close observer of Fairweather's 400m freestyle - in what is being dubbed the race of the century - where she is one of four top swimmers including Australia's Ariarne Titmus, USA's Katie Ledecky and Canada's Summer McIntosh who will be battling for three medals.
For her part Fairweather says the 400m freestyle is "always hyped up for the women".
"We've got some of the most incredible athletes in the field in that one race so I am ready to give it a good crack.
"Since the last Olympics I've had a lot of international racing experience and I've grown as an athlete. I have had an amazing training block over the last 12 months even post qualifying meets until now my training's been really good so I'm really excited for racing."
The New Zealand swim team are close group who have settled into village life together.
However, Clareburt isn't a fan of the pain au chocolat in the athletes' village dining hall - not enough chocolate for his liking - but he snuck a few croissants out for the New Zealand media who spoke to him on the eve of his second Olympics.
The 25-year-old was jovial and willing to play along with some of the quirky requests from journalists and the gathering crowd of local Olympic volunteers who were impressed by his swimming and his demeanor.
His popular social media posts have also made an appearance on French breakfast television where they showed video of him jumping on his cardboard bed in the village.
All signs that when he says he's relaxed he means it.
