Matthew Glaetzer is on the verge of an elusive Olympic track cycling medal, thanks largely to his wife Nikki and teammate Tom Cornish.
The Australian sprinter has confirmed his fourth Games will also be the last, after going close to retiring following a disastrous Tokyo campaign.
Glaetzer, 32, overcame thyroid cancer and then a torn calf muscle to compete at the last Olympics, but struggled in his events.
Three years later, he will join Matthew Richardson and Leigh Hoffman in the powerful team sprint combination that will challenge the Dutch favourites for the gold medal.
Glaetzer said on Tuesday that Nikki helped ensure he did not make a rash decision on his career after Tokyo.
"I wouldn't be here without her - I was actually pretty close to giving the sport away after Tokyo," he said.
"For us to be a team together and figure out we have some unfinished business, to push to Paris, has been a feat.
"I'm pretty proud to be here."
Once Glaetzer committed, Cornish proved to be his main motivation to keep improving.
"Tom has been ... probably the best thing for my career in the last few years because he's really pushed me, he's really made me step up," he said.
"I wouldn't be here without him. We've been pushing each other ... because we know what the team can do."
Australia could only take three sprinters to Paris and Cornish was the unlucky rider to miss out, but he is on standby as the team reserve.
"He's had a fantastic attitude throughout this whole process. He's been phenomenal ... if something happens, he's ready to slot in," Glaetzer said.
"That's critical for us to know, that we have such a strong back-up."
Glaetzer is full of confidence Australia can win gold, saying they have had a much more consistent preparation for Paris.
"I also see the Dutch as the favourites and they're always a powerhouse to beat. But we have beaten them before," he said.
"Us as a team, we're just going to make sure we can go as fast as possible. That's all we can control.
"In the past, we've been tempted to change things in the lead-up to the Olympics and test things that aren't really proven within our environment.
"It's really us just trusting our training and preparation that we have executed ... and to rinse and repeat - not change anything, not try to find a silver bullet that's going to miraculously find heaps of speed."
Whatever happens in Paris, Glaetzer will probably keep competing for another couple of years, but Los Angeles is out of the question.
"It definitely will be my last shot ... I'm really looking forward to making the most of it with the team. We have a really good shot to do something special and end on a high note," he said.
"What we do isn't easy on the body and I don't want to put my body too far back for later in life.
"I am ready for some other challenges as well in life."
