It was earlier this year at the world race walking cup and he woke up with a head full of mucus, his eyes were hanging out and he just wanted to curl up under his doona and never come out.

His coach and the team doctor told him not to compete.

"I just stood my ground and said, 'I'm going to have a crack at it, no matter what. I've got plenty of time to recover afterwards'," he said.

"So they dosed my up with a ton of Panadol, a ton of caffeine and I just pushed my way through to the end of it.

"It was probably one of the toughest races I've ever had."

Why is this race earlier at all relevant to Bird-Smith's race on Friday on day one of the athletics competition in Rio?

Because in that walking dead race he ended up clocking a personal best and finishing fourth in a field of walkers who will nearly all be in Rio. It has forced him to wonder that if he can perform so well there while feeling so poorly, what can he do in Rio?

He suffered badly after that race. He picked up a chest infection which knocked him about and halted his training. But now he is over the infection, has completed a long block of altitude training feels better and fitter now than when he left for the World Walking Cup.

"On a blue-sky day I want a medal (in Rio). I can't lie. I really want a medal bad. I'm hungry for it but I'm not going to sit around and pump myself up and say it's an easy job done. I've got a lot of hard work to do in the race and I know what I've got to do to get a medal. Putting it all together is the toughest part of the job."

The walks field has opened up with the Russians, traditionally a strong walking team, banned from competition.

"You clear it out of your mind after they made the final decision that Russia's done and dusted," said Bird-Smith.

"It's a really good thing that the IAAF have stood by their decision and for all the clean athletes out there."

Unfortunately in some ways for Australia Jared Tallent  will not be there as he withdrew to give a minor hamstring issue time to settle down ahead of his priority, and better, event, the 50km walk.

Regardless it could well be a walker in Bird-Smith who claims Australia's first athletics medal on the first day of the athletics competition.

Long jumper Fabrice Lapierre, the world silver medallist and one of Australia's prime medal hopes, also begins his Olympic push with the heat in the morning session of competition on Friday.

"I do think I can do it and I'm going in there with that mentality of 'Yeah, I'm going out there to win, I believe I am going to win," Lapierre said ahead of the games at the team's training camp in Florida

"It's a good feeling to know that Australia is looking to me for a medal, I love that and I thrive off it."

"I have only been to one Olympics but going to major championships is what I love, it's my favourite thing, especially when I am in great shape and the right head space, I really look forward to it.

"I'm happy to go out there representing Australia and get that medal that they want."

Australian Henry Frayne,  who has been battling his body in the lead up to the Olympics, will also compete in he long jump which commences at 10.20am Saturday AEST  

Eloise Wellings will run the 10km at 1.20am Saturday AEST while the men's 800m runners  - Luke Mathews, Peter Bol and Jeff Riseley - all run the heat in the morning session (11.10pm Friday AEST).