Kelly Sotherton told Sky Sports News heptathlete Jessica Ennis has a great chance of claiming gold at the Olympics - provided her long jump is up to scratch.
Former world and European champion Ennis missed the Beijing Games four years ago due to stress fractures in her foot.
But the Sheffield star will head into the London Olympics in fine form after breaking Denise Lewis' British heptathlon record during a meet in Gotzis, Austria in May.
Olympic bronze medal winner and former heptathlete Sotherton has backed Ennis to prosper in front of a passionate home crowd.
But she hopes the 26-year-old's title aspirations are not stunted by her efforts in the long jump, the fifth of the seven events that the Briton will face.
"I don't think Jess could be in better shape," she said. "She broke Denise Lewis' British record back in May and she is improving from competition to competition.
"There is a small doubt about her long jump as it hasn't gone to plan; she has jumped 6m 50cm but is not jumping much over 6m 20cm at the moment.
"That is her biggest concern and, for me, her hopes rest on that event, but I'm sure that on the second day of the heptathlon when she heeds a big jump the crowd will push her to that.
"Ennis is up against reigning world champion Tatyana Chernova and reigning Olympic champion Nataliya Dobrynska, but she is really good psychologically."
Concern
Meanwhile, triple jumper Phillips Idowu - a silver medallist in the 2008 Olympics - has pulled out of the British team's warm weather training camp in Portugal with an "ongoing injury problem", and Sotherton thinks that will worry UK Athletics chief Charles van Comenee.
"It is quite concerning because no-one has really seen Phillips in a couple of months since he pulled out of the Diamond League in Eugene, Oregon with a suspected foot injury," she said.
"There are probably some concerns for Team GB and Charles van Comenee as they are not going to be able to keep an eye on him, but that is Phillips' choice and hopefully it is the right one.
"We won't know that until August 7 [the triple jump qualification round] but fingers crossed it works out for him."
Familiar
The athletics events in the London Games will begin on August 3 and Sotherton says the competitors will be using the next fortnight to fine-tune their preparations for their Olympic assault.
"All the hard work has been done in the previous four years," she added. "It will be a case of sharpening up and keeping mind and body healthy, as a lot of things can go wrong in your head.
"There is no more an athlete can do; it's just about getting to the Games in one piece and trying to keep the same routines when you're in the village.
"There is loads of excitement going on but you really want to keep things familiar to you, so that when you do go and compete it's just like any other day."
