Gavin Thompson will take a leaf out of the Kenyan training manual in his bid to prove their athletes are not unbeatable.

Thompson makes his international track debut in the 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games knowing he has his work cut out to compete with the best Africa has to offer.

But despite the odds being stacked heavily against him the 25-year-old from Uckfield is relishing the prospect of taking on the best runners Africa has to offer.

Thompson has witnessed at first hand why the Kenyans have stormed ahead of the rest of the world in distance running over the past decade as he trains with one of their top runners on a regular basis in America.

And the Crawley AC star believes the tips he has picked up from fellow East Michigan University student Boaz Cheboiywo, who holds the ninth fastest time ever for 3,000m, has enabled him to close the gap.

"I'm looking forward to running against the Kenyans," said Thompson. "I want to test myself against the best in the world.

"Of course it is going to be tough. You have got to give the Kenyans respect but I won't fear them otherwise I have lost the battle before the race even starts.

"There are a lot of factors which set them out from the rest of the world in distance running - the way they are brought up, their diet is better and some people think the fact they are born at altitude plays a part.

"Others say they are physiologically suited to distance running but I think it is their determination and willingness to do anything to win.

"It's different in Britain. When you are younger you are told it is not about the winning but the taking part that counts. That is okay up to a point but we also have to instill the winning mentality into kids.

"I watch what Boaz does closely and try to copy certain little things. I've even been pushing him in training and that has given me a lot of confidence."

Thompson is one of a new breed of distance runners willing to give the previously dominant Africans a run for their money.

But the former Ardingly College pupil admits there is still a long way to go and accepts a medal is probably out of his reach in his first major championships.

"I've looked at past results in the Commonwealths and think a top ten finish is realistic," he said. "My main aim, though, is to run a fast time and my training suggests I am on course to break my personal best (28min.40sec)."

Thompson has had plenty of time to dream about stepping out in front of a packed MCG having been one of the first to book his place in the England squad by winning the AAAs 10,000m title in June.

He faces another long wait to get out on the track in Melbourne with his race scheduled to take place on the final day of the Games, March 25.

"It feels like I have been waiting my whole life for it to come around," he said. "I am getting twitchy feet because I just want to get out there and race."

Nick Buckfield is determined to silence his growing number of critics by turning the form book on its head in Melbourne. The pole vaulter from Crawley has suffered such a dramatic loss of form over the last two years that he was dropped from the UK's elite group of athletes before Christmas.

As a result he will not receive a penny in funding after the Commonwealth Games despite the fact he has been the British No. 1 for 11 years.

Buckfield admits the loss of cash is a major worry but says the fact he is no longer considered a contender for medals at international level hurts the most.

"I have had an awful run in the last couple of years and people are starting to say I am on my way out," he said. "But that has just made me more motivated to prove them wrong.

"It is four years since I jumped a personal best and not much has gone right since so you get forgotten about a bit.

People feel the writing is on the wall for me but it is not over until the fat lady sings. "When I am jumping my best I can compete against the best in the world but I have had so many injuries recently that I've been well below my usual standard.

"Pole vaulting is such a technical event that when one thing is not quite right then everything goes out of the window. I've had a few problems in the lead up to the Games but I'm over them now and am determined to do well."

Buckfield's form so far this season has offered little encouragement with his best clearance being just 5.35m which he achieved two days ago in Melbourne in his final competition before the Games.

The 32-year-old knows he will need to raise his game in Melbourne if he is simply to qualify for the final, let alone challenge for a medal.

"It is going to be very hard because there are a lot of top vaulters in the Commonwealth," said Buckfield who was fourth in Manchester in 2002.

"In some events the competition is pretty soft but that is not the case in pole vault."