Troy Douglas is now an athletics World Championship medallist ? but his eye remains on an even bigger prize: the Olympics.

In the wake of Britain being stripped of their sprint-relay silver medal won at last summer?s Athletics World Championships and the fourth-placed Netherlands being elevated to third, Bermuda-born Douglas and his Dutch team-mates are trying to concentrate on the objective they set long before they were making headlines.

?Everybody is still focused on the most important goal and that is Athens. You don?t want this (getting the bronze) to make you short-sighted and it?s what something like this could do.

?We could sit back and say ?At least we?ve got a bronze medal? even when we know our team has a possibility of going to Athens and doing more damage there,? noted the veteran athlete of their quest for Olympic glory.

In addition, Holland?s relay quartet already felt they had won a more cherished accolade by being voted that country?s Sports Team of the Year last December.

?To walk the streets and have people say ?Hey, Troy Douglas? that?s enough for me. It was even more special because it was our peers who voted for us which means we have their respect,? reasoned Douglas who ran the back stretch at the Worlds in Paris, France.

Still the events of recent days ? with British sprinter and relay anchor Dwain Chambers not appealing his two-year drug ban for THG ? have impacted on the 41-year-old who intends to retire after this season.

?It?s good for us and we?re trying to take the positive from this. That?s what we?re trying to do.?

Overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and interest from the public since it became clear late last year that the Dutch relay squad could be among the unwitting beneficiaries of the THG scandal, Douglas declared it was an honour that belonged to the entire nation.

?The whole country has been behind us. It?s their medal. It?s for the people who stop us on the street and ask ?Did you get it?? I know what it means to them. This is a country that has never believed in its sprint culture.

?They didn?t think they had guys of that calibre in this country who could do anything of that nature so it?s really theirs and they deserve it. I?m glad my team-mates and I could make 14 million people that happy.?

No doubt there will be more celebrations when these heroes finally receive their long-awaited recognition. The presentation will possibly be held at a Grand Prix meet in Holland on May 31 which IAAF President Lamine Diack is due to attend.

Amid all the euphoria, however, Douglas spared a thought for his British rivals.

?We have a good relationship with the British guys and I feel bad they have to give up their medals. I was their when they got the silver medals and I saw how proud they were to go home with a medal.

?You had Marlon (Devonish) and Christian (Malcolm) who didn?t have a medal ? Darren (Campbell) had won a medal in the 100 ? and I know how they felt. I feel bad about it,? he said.

What he does feel good about though are the chances of another medal dangling from his team?s necks come August.

?It?s our turn. Every other country has had their turn. Other European countries have been in finals at major championships and had their chance. I strongly believe it?s our turn and I can see my team-mates are starting to believe that too.

?I?m just going for it and enjoying every moment of it,? he said of what should be his final international appearance.

Their training has begun in earnest with a recently-concluded training camp in Texas, USA, where they opened their campaign with a commendable 39.18 seconds in one competition before falling back with a sixth-placed 39.40 at the Mount Sac Relays.

?For a team of our calibre we were disappointed but we learnt our lesson ? be sharp every day. There are certain competitions where we should always be in the top three and we should have been there.

?Our strongest point is our exchanges. We?re the best team in the world in exchanges. We got to fourth place (at Worlds) and all our fast times through exchanges.

?We don?t have 9.9 (seconds) or 10.0 guys. We have an average of 10.2 or 10.3 guys. So exchanges have to be really good. That?s an important point for us. We lost because of the last exchange which is the most important exchange. We were in fourth and we ended up sixth.?

From hereon, everything is geared to ?the Big Dance?, Douglas? affectionate term for the Olympics.

?We will be getting in shape and preparing. That?s it. Basically everybody is in the right frame of mind. One of my team-mates, Caimin Douglas, competed yesterday (Saturday) in Texas and he ran 10.22 and 20.51.

?We feel like a unit and I want to keep that positive feeling within the team until we get to Athens to take care of business.?

Prior to this, the Dutch team?s priority is the Europa Cup ? ?That?s like the Champions League of athletics in Europe,? he explained ? where they aim to eclipse Italy?s record of 38.41 from last year. Such a feat would set a new Dutch national record, erasing the 38.63 which they established in the World Championship semi-finals.

Douglas is also seeking to bow out of athletics on an individual high in the 100 metres. His decision to run only one of the two sprints, he hopes, will boost his Olympic performance.

?I feel good. My first competition is this weekend and if I achieve my goals for this weekend, my chances of making the (Olympic) finals are open because I know what to do to get there,? he said, disclosing his target for this weekend is ?anywhere under 10.25?.

Thereafter, it would be simply to put his races together.

?The way I feel now and the way training is going, mentally and physically, it should work out well.

?I?ve just got to stay positive and hope for the best. Every opportunity is there for me to run well. I?ve just got to focus on doing what I?ve got to do.?