He will miss the glitz of today's opening ceremony and has to wait until the final weekend of the Games to make his Sochi bow – but John Jackson could not be happier.
Every day that Britain's number-one bobsleigh driver has to wait for the four-man competition is another day closer to full fitness after snapping his Achilles in pre-season.
The 36-year-old's Olympic ambitions were literally hanging by thread after he suffered the major injury while training at the University of Bath in July.
But pioneering surgery by Professor Gordan Mackay ensured Jackson was able to start the World Cup season and he went on to claim two medals – which he hopes to add to in Russia.
"We have decided not to go to the opening ceremony, so we can focus fully on being prepared," said Jackson, who is currently at the TeamGB holding camp in Germany.
"I don't mind waiting. In my case it is better to have that bit more time because of the injury.
"The Achilles is still getting there. I don't think it will be 100 per cent equal to my good side by the time we start competing but I know I will be in the best possible shape I can be.
"I am getting stronger and stronger and the team is getting stronger and stronger."
An experimental FIBT World Cup season has ended with Joel Fearon, Stuart Benson and Bruce Tasker emerging as Jackson's brakemen in the GBR1 four-man crew.
"We have been testing a lot this winter in terms of equipment and team combinations," he explained. "Some of it has worked, some of it hasn't but hopefully we now have the right crew together.
"We pushed together in three of the eight races and won two medals, which is a good sign. We know we have the potential to do the same in Sochi, the key is to be consistent over the four runs.
"Last time we competed at Sochi [last February] we came fifth, just eight-hundredths of a second outside the medals, and we have a better team this year. It all depends whether the teams around us have improved as well."
Jackson and co will be joined at the Olympics by a GBR2 crew of Lamin Deen, John Baines and Ben Simons but sadly not Craig Pickering, who suffered a back injury in training this week.
GBR2 sealed their Sochi place at the World Cup in Igls last month with a bit of help from GBR1's brakemen.
"We had to sacrifice a potential medal to get the second qualification spot but it was worth it to see the lads' faces," said Jackson, whose competition starts on February 22.
"GBR2 is quite a new team and is still developing. If they can finish in the top 20 then that will be a good result, top 15 would be an excellent result.
"Whatever happens, it will be a great experience for them looking ahead to the 2018 Games."
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