David Davies took 1500m freestyle bronze at the Athens Olympics
British swimmer David Davies says he will have to be at his best just to make the final of the 1500m freestyle.
The Welshman, who won bronze at the Athens Olympics, is tipped to at least repeat that feat this year in Beijing.
"The 1500 is probably going to be the most difficult it's ever been, the heats are going to be hard enough just to get to the final," Davies said.
"Then in the final it's going to be an absolute dogfight, there's so many guys who've swam under 15 minutes."
The 1500m heats begin on Friday, and Grant Hackett still remains the man to beat despite the strength of the competition.
The Australian great is bidding to become the first swimmer ever to win three consecutive 1500m Olympic gold medals.
"There's not really a clear favourite, there's just a lot of guys bunched up to do a good battle," Davies added.
"But do I think Grant Hackett is past it? No, not at all. He's a fantastic athlete and he wouldn't be around in the sport if he wasn't still hungry to do it.
"Going for his third Olympic title is a great testament to him as an athlete, he's definitely going to be one of the ones to beat again."
Assuming Davies is successful in the heats, he will contest the 1500m final in the early hours of Sunday morning (0305 BST scheduled).
Davies then has four days to rest before tackling the 10k Open Water, a new event for the Barry native that British swimming great Adrian Moorhouse believes is Davies' best bet for Olympic glory.
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