Tyrone Smith believes that he will face equally stiff competition in the long jump at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as he did at the London Olympics two years ago.

The 29-year-old expects to be up against at least nine of the 12 Olympic finalists when he stares down the runway towards the sand pit at Hampden Park, which has been completely transformed into an athletics stadium for the Games.

Smith, who finished twelfth in his first Olympic final with a leap of 7.70 metres, is confident of reaching the medal round in Glasgow, where he will renew acquaintances with some of the world’s best jumpers including Greg Rutherford, of Great Britain, who won gold in London.

“[The Commonwealth Games] long jump field will be as stiff competition as a World Championship final or an Olympic final,” Smith said.

“Rutherford set a British record with a jump of 8.51 a few weeks ago while his team-mate Chris Tomlinson [who finished sixth in London] and South Africa’s Godfrey Khotso Mokoena [who came eighth] will also be there.

“I think it will be one of the best long jump fields at the Commonwealths for a very long time.”

Smith, who won gold at the 2010 CAC Games in Puerto Rico, said that knowing he will have to be at his very best to be in medal contention will motivate him to leave no stone unturned in his preparations.

“It’s exciting to have all those guys [in Glasgow] but I don’t think it will take a huge jump to make the final,” said the Houston-based athlete.

“You can relax a little bit knowing that a jump of 7.90 will probably be enough.

“ It’s nice to know that you probably won’t have to be at your full limit to get a shot at the final. It’s going to take a big jump to win the gold medal, though, but that’s certainly my aim.”

No athletics crowd is quite as passionate and knowledgeable than the British, according to Smith, who believes that the atmosphere at Hampden Park, which has been turned from the home of Scottish football into a world-class athletics arena, will be almost as electrifying as it was at the Olympic Stadium.

“I anticipate that it’s going to be an awesome event and a packed house,” said Smith, whose impromptu jig during the Olympics opening ceremony caused a storm on Twitter, which exploded with thousands of Tweets about his dancing.

“I’ve always loved competing in the UK, even before the Olympics. It’s a true athletics crowd.

“I’ve had people in the UK who have been talking to me on Twitter for a year already about the Commonwealth Games.

“They’re asking me whether I’m going to be there because they have their tickets.”

Smith, who finished fifth at the previous Commonwealth Games in Delhi with a jump of 7.76, has competed in two “tune-up” events so far this season, the Mt SAC Relays in Walnut, California, and the Rice University track and field meet in Houston, Texas, an event he won with a leap of 7.85.

Hampered by a hamstring problem during the first month of the season, Smith, who also received a knee injection last November, said that he was confident his injury concerns were firmly behind him.

“I strained my hamstring a month before the Mt SAC Relays and then again a week before,” said Smith, who is scheduled to compete at meets in Poland and Germany before heading to Glasgow.

“The Rice University meet was the first I’d competed at this season without my hamstring bothering me.

“I jumped 7.85, which was pretty good considering I hadn’t done any sprint work.

“It should be a good season for me and I’m pretty happy with the way things are going. I just want to be competition fit in Glasgow in July, which is usually the month when I’m at my peak.”

The Games run from July 23 to August 3.