LONDON, Feb 8: Britain is pushing its athletes to turn fourth-place results into podium finishes to achieve its medal target on home soil at the London Olympics.

A projected medals table published in the Times of London newspaper this week predicted that Britain and Russia would record more fourth-place finishes — 21 — than any other nation.

British athletes are looking to translate those performances into medals, British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Hunt said on Tuesday.

“For many athletes, [fourth place] is the most difficult result at the Olympic Games,” he said. “While it represents a remarkable achievement, it is also painfully close to a podium finish and the realization of a dream that drives so many athletes — which is to one day be called an Olympic medallist.”

Britain won 47 medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished fourth behind China, the United States and Russia.

Consolidating that position has been the host nation’s aim ever since, while Hunt said another goal is to “win more medals across more sports than in a century.”To do that, the BOA has made it a priority to provide athletes with the resources and support to make the podium in their events.

“In my many conversations and interaction with the athletes and coaches who are training and competing day in, day out, in hopes of representing Team GB at London 2012, one of the observations many have shared with me is the mixed blessing that is a fourth-place finish,” Hunt said.

“On the one hand, your or your team are the fourth best in the world, which is a tremendous accomplishment in any endeavour. On the other, a podium finish was clearly within reach.”—AP