“I loved bikes when I was a kid and my dad just took me to the BMX track when I was six and I never looked back,” Dean said. 

“I watched all action sports when I was a kid and action sports movies and I just loved it, doing skids and jumps.” 

Dean took the Olympic stage by storm in Rio 2016 as he progressed unbeaten to the final, lining up alongside his now coach Sam Willoughby. 

But the final did not go as planned. He fractionally missed the start, then became stuck in traffic, and just like that the race was over. 

“Walking away from Rio, after the mistake in the final and finishing eighth, leaving there I just wanted redemption,” Dean said. 

“If we could have raced again 10 minutes later, I would have. It left a fire in my belly that I just wanted that opportunity again, and here we are. 

“I’m in the best shape now to put it all together. I’ve experienced everything and I know what I need to do.” 

Dean credits the trust and friendship of working with Willoughby alongside his Australian team-mate Lauren Reynolds for taking his riding to the next level. 

"The work ethic we have as a group has been such a great thing over the past three years, it’s kept me hungry and motivated," Dean said.  

"I was at a point where I was hitting a wall and I didn’t know which way to go to get quicker...I was just maintaining. 

"Sam’s helped me really enhance what I’ve built over the last 10 years, and I’m a lot better on the bike now. I’m stronger than I was and just a more rounded and mature athlete over the last three years. 

“The training’s been great, I’ve had zero injuries, zero setbacks, just pure training, pure strength building, so I’m coming into this event 100 per cent.” 

Ten months of solid training has the South Australian in the best physical shape of his career, and that combined with the experience of Rio and as a reserve in London 2012 means Dean knows what it takes to perform on the Olympic stage. 

Dean says composure will be a key in the helter-skelter action that makes BMX racing one of the most exciting sports at the Games. 

“I believe I can get out front and lead the races, and then it’s just going to take a lot of composure, calm, and the jumps are very steep so there are a lot of places to make mistakes on this track. 

“It’s a long track, so there are chances to come back, but it’s just keeping that composure, staying smooth around the track and keep the bike rolling, because once you make a mistake it’s very hard to recover. 

“You are going to see a group of eight guys in that final who can win, so it’s anyone’s game.” 

Dean is Australia’s sole representative in the men’s BMX racing, with the competition starting on Thursday at Ariake Urban Sports Park. 

David Taylor