Staff's 2012 dream 'under threat'

Olympic gold medallist Jamie Staff admits he faces stiff competition from younger cyclists for his place in Great Britain's 2012 squad.

Staff, 36, won the team sprint at last weekend's World Cup in Manchester, but he knows his place is not guaranteed.

"It'd be a dream to be there competing. If I was three years younger I would be going absolutely gung ho for it.

"But I'm getting older, the youngsters are getting quicker daily, so I have to be realistic," he told BBC Radio Kent.

Staff, from Ashford, competed alongside his Beijing team-mates Sir Chris Hoy and Ross Edgar in Manchester.

"The fact that we have got so many youngsters coming up getting quicker and quicker is making us step it up"

But the GB squad is so strong that the team that came second was another British combination, featuring youngsters Matthew Crampton, David Daniell and Jason Kenny.

Staff added: "I would love to be there [at London 2012] and I'm going to try to be there, but I'm just going to do my best and see where it goes.

"We train and ride with each other all the time and you are friends. It's harder actually competing against them than it is against people from other nations, but that's the game.

"We are pushing each other and making each other better. The fact that we have got so many youngsters coming up getting quicker and quicker is making us step it up.

"The competition's good, it can get awkward, but it's good for the country anyway."

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