Triple jumper Brian Wellman will head to next month's Olympic Games without any competition under his belt this summer.

But the 32-year-old former Indoor World champion believes he can still be a medal contender.

Wellman explained that an ongoing problem with his agent was the main reason for his lack of competition but refused to go into specifics.

"I can't talk about it. There are some liability factors involved. It's to do with my agent. That's all I can say.'' Those circumstances have prevented Wellman from earning a living on the lucrative European Grand Prix circuit or taking part in any of this summer's Golden League athletics meets. And he has also skipped competition in the US.

But, speaking from his home in Arkansas, Wellman insisted he was fit and optimistic he could improve on his lacklustre showing at the Pan-Am Games in Canada last year, when against a mediocre field he could place only fourth with a best leap of 16.36 metres.

His best this year is a jump of 17.18 metres in May -- still a long way short of the 17.79 he recorded back in 1995, the year he won gold at Barcelona in the Indoor Worlds and later silver at the Outdoor Worlds in Gothenburg, Sweden.

"I would have liked to have competed more but the situation that came up prevented me from doing so,'' added Wellman. "And I know I'm going to lack that competitive edge, and that's the downside.

"But on the other side of the coin, my training's been going well -- really well actually. I've got enough training partners who can simulate a meet situation, and I've been working hard.

"I believe my chances of putting one (a big jump) together in Sydney are really good.

"The upside is that there a couple of benefits from not having competed -- and I always try to look at the positives.

"I could sneak up on a few people. Nobody's seen me this year, and nobody's going to see me coming. So there's no pressure.'' Wellman admitted it had been an odd year for triple jumpers with none of the world's most recognised athletes making a big impact.

England's world record holder Jonathan Edwards had been one of the more consistent but even he was some way short of the 18 metre (60 feet) barrier he first shattered five years ago.

And there was another factor, said Wellman, that could throw the Olympic competition wide open.

"It's going to be a weird Olympics,'' he said. "Under the right circumstances, 17.5 metres could win it.

"The wind inside the Olympic Stadium is very weird. They did a test, put out 10 wind gauges over 100 metres at 10 metre intervals and you know what -- they got five positive and five negative readings in the same direction! "Ultimately what's going to happen is somebody's going to get a tailwind and everybody else a headwind and that person's going to win the triple jump gold.

"That's what happened with Al Joyner in 1984. He won the triple jump with the only tailwind of the competition.

"So the weather in Sydney's going to be a huge factor.

"But if I can put it all together, who knows. I'm healthy, I'm fit, in fact I'm feeling pretty good.'' Brian Wellman: lack of competition.

ATHLETICS ATH