James Dasaolu’s Olympic dreams may have taken a battering in 2011 but the Croydon sprinter still believes he will be on 100m start line come August 4.

The 24-year-old has been beset by injury for the past 12 months, managing to race at just two meetings before a hamstring tear ruled him out of the World Championships and the rest of the season.

He was also dropped from the UK Athletics’ funding list for this year and has found himself on the periphery of people’s minds when it comes to the Games – now just six months away.

But, despite so few races, he still ended 2011 second only to Dwain Chambers, who is banned from the Olympics due to his previous doping conviction, in the UK 100m rankings with a 10.11 second clocking.

And Dasaolu believes that as long as he can avoid injury before the Olympic trials in June, he will qualify for the Games as he already has the 10.18 A standard.

“I know and I believe I have the ability to make the GB Olympic team and to be in the top three in Britain,” said the Croydon Harrier.

“I was ranked second last year despite only racing three times so for me it is about keeping fit as opposed to pushing my training and pushing my times.

“It is about getting to the trials healthy and being able to compete – that is the main battle for me, to be able to compete.

“I won’t be competing week in, week out before then, maybe once every three weeks.

“My aim is simply to make it to the trials, I need one race to get a time to get there and I have always opened up pretty fast and not far from my personal best.

“Once I get the time I will wrap myself up.”

In a bid to change his fortunes, Dasaolu has also changed his coach, switching from Michael Khmel to Canadian Kevin Tyler and Steve Fudge – who work with the likes of Michael Bingham, Leon Baptiste and Richard Buck.

He was on the podium relay list for UKA funding throughout 2011 but was axed for this year after his lack of action.

However, Dasaolu is not too concerned: “It was a blow but I am lucky as I have funding from Nike so I can support myself that way,” he added.

“It is nice to have the medical support of the governing body as they have some of the best in the country but it is not everything.

“There’s many athletes that have done well without it – Andy Turner, Will Sharman and Christine Ohuruogu are just a few that had some of their best years when not on funding.

“And many governing bodies from other countries don’t give the same support as ours and their athletes do well.”