Barcelona 2010 has caught up with Ireland's sprinter and double European 400m sprinter David Gillick, 26, who eyes the title at this summer's European Athletics Championships. At the moment he is preparing his season together with British sprinters at Loughborough University in the UK.

B10: How is your preparation going?

It's going really well. The Doha world indoors gave me a confidence boost and I was preparing in Los Angeles for five weeks right after the championships. I've been focusing more on the speed aspect lately, running some 200 metres races, to become quicker. I'm getting stronger in the gym as well, which makes me very happy and look forward to get going and start racing.

When and where will you start your season?

My first race will be in Rabat, Morocco, on 6 June. After that I will compete in Rome and then at the European Team Championships. It's all basically leading up to the Europeans in July.

So your big goal is Barcelona 2010 this year?

Definitely. For many reasons actually. Mainly because my last Europeans in Göteborg didn't go as well as I hoped (semi-final, 46.84). I need to improve on that performance, which I will, because I made some massive improvement since 2006. And, of course, I am looking forward to a great competition.

A competition where you are considered the hot favourite. Does that bother you?

To be honest, someone has to be and I actually feel privileged. I always dreamt about being a professional athlete and if I'm considered the favourite then so be it. I made good process in the last couple of years, so I'm up there for a reason. If it bothers me? No, not really. I need to focus on myself, David Gillick, my performance. That's what counts. I want to be able to look into the mirror after the Championships thinking "well done".

You finished 6th at the Berlin worlds in August. Best European performance. Who will be your main rivals in Barcelona?

There's a lot of talent out there and all of them are going to be up for it. Eight to nine European athletes are running between 44 and 45 seconds on a regular basis, such as Martyn Rooney, Johan Wissman, Leslie Djhone and the Borlée twins. I'd say that's some good competition. It's not going to be easy for any of us.

What is your objective then?

I'm going for a win. That's what I got to do and to be honest, I'm very confident. I've learned an awful lot about racing over the past few seasons and want to carry it up to this year. I'm yet more consistent and run more sub 45 races. But I can still improve, I'm sure.

Last year you clocked your personal best (44.77) in Madrid. Can you improve that?

Of course I can. Improvement is very important and I always give 100 percent. I just want to run and would give anything to clock a better time. That's why I'm training hard every day, true to the motto "leave no stone unturned". Will and instinct also play an important role. As a junior I was not so good, but know it's going very well. It's probably the Irish fighting thing in me (laughs). That's why I really like competing indoors, it's more of a fight because of the shorter track.

You also competed at Barcelona's International Meeting last summer. What do you think about the city?

It's brilliant. I like the weather and the atmosphere in the stadium. Also, for athletics fans and spectators it's the perfect city. After the competition there are plenty of things to do. Me for instance, I enjoyed a day at the beach after the meeting. Moreover, Spain is a great omen for me in general. I won my first European indoors in Madrid and then clocked my fastest time there last year.

44.33 seconds is the European 400m record (Thomas Schönlebe, Rome 1987). Can we count on a new one any time soon?

Well, it has been out there for a while. To set a new record a fierce competition as basis is absolutely necessary. And that's what we will have at Barcelona 2010 this summer. It will be one of the best, if not the greatest 400m final in the history of the European Championships. The athletes will be pushing each other and are all ready to produce and excellent, very fast performance. To get close to these records, you really need to get into these races.

How does your athletics future look like?

London 2012 is my long term goal. I will give everything to get to the Olympics and achieve a great result. It's like a dream. I love London and the Games are the biggest goal for any athlete out there.

One last question: How do you judge the current situation of athletics in Ireland?

It's actually a funny situation. We have sprinters and long-distance runnerss coming through, but really lack on the field events. I think that the system is not in place in Ireland. We need to get into schools and help athletics grow at a younger age. Rugby is very popular in my country and these guys are huge. I bet some of them would do great at throwing a hammer or discus, but it is up to us to get them involved. On the school level we really need to do more. At the moment I don't see a clear structure, that's why I really fear where the young athletics generation is going in Ireland.