Cowan (pictured below), who will take both squads in search of medals at the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki, which runs which opened yesterday and runs until Sunday (July 1), commented: "We have to find around eight seconds extra come the Olympics to be in with a real medal chance.

"I believe we can do it."

He added: "A lot will also depend on how strong the teams are from opponents such as Russia and the Ukraine.

"The United States are the fastest at the moment, followed by Jamaica and Russia, with us and the Ukraine next. "

Cowan, who has guided Christine Ohuruogu to Commonwealth, world and Olympic 400m titles – she will be running the relay in Helsinki – and Andy Turner to Commonwealth and European 110m hurdles golds, believes the European Championships is vital for the preparation of the two teams ahead of the Olympics.


"Being just four weeks out from the Olympics, the Europeans is a key preparation for both the sprint relay and the 4x400m relay squads," Cowan asserted.

"It will be a great opportunity for us to get our top five or six women together and have them work together on becoming a unit.

"I think it's going to be a great team competition in Helsinki.

"The venue is a fantastic one – it's a great track, steeped in history, and all our athletes are looking forward to experiencing it.

"Helsinki is a special place."

It is in the nature of the relay that coaches sometimes have to be a little creative about personnel, with Jeanette Kwakye (pictured below), suffering from an Achilles tendon problem, the most recent casualty among a spate of injuries to Britain's female sprinters.

This may result in bringing world indoor 60m hurdles silver medallist Tiffany Porter and world heptathlon silver medallist Jessica Ennis into the squad for the Olympics.

Anyika Onoura, a squad member who won a relay silver medal at the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg, hinted that there may yet be some high-profile additions.

"Tiffany and Jessica, if she's not too tired, may be there," she said.

"But we don't know for sure yet.

"I think it's really good that we can add a sprint hurdler and a multi-eventer to the squad."


Meanwhile Shana Cox, a member of the 4x400m relay squad, is due to run the individual event as well in Finland, according to Cowan.

"We want her to get some rounds under her belt before London 2012," he said.

"She is a great competitor and I am sure she will respond very positively to the demands of championships running in Helsinki.

"Christine will be involved in the relay at the Europeans – she might run a first leg, she might just run in the final, but she will be involved."

Cowan's  4x400m team will be able to draw on the positive memories from the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul earlier this year, when the women (pictured top) took gold ahead of the US and Russia.

"Obviously the experience the 4x400m team had in winning in Istanbul earlier this year will stand them in good stead," Cowan said.

The memory of that final in Turkey will endure in the competitive memory of all involved.

After the opening legs by Cox and Nicola Sanders, Ohuruogu moved up from third place to hand over a lead which Perri Shakes-Drayton maintained to the line, dipping to finish just 0.03sec ahead of the US world champion, Sanya Richards-Ross, and leaving Russia to pick up the bronze.

"The run from Christine in Istanbul was exceptional, the way she drew the sting from the opposition," Cowan said.

"And Perri was a killer on the final leg.

"If she ends up on the last leg against an American in the Olympics, that will be quite a scenario.

"We will have a strong team and we will be in Helsinki with the aim of winning.

"But we know that Russia and the Ukraine are likely to be very strong, so we have to be realistic.

"We want to be making the finals with both teams.

"And we want both teams to be representing themselves well enough to be close to a medal."

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