GREAT Britain's men might have squeezed into the 4x100m final but ever-confident Richard Kilty insists there is no reason for panic ahead of bidding for an Olympic medal.

Named solely as part of the relay squad for Rio 2016, Kilty’s long wait to make his Games bow was ended on Thursday as he took to the Olympic Stadium for the 4x100m heats.

He was picked to kick things off before Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, James Ellington and CJ Ujah took up the baton and got the team home in 38.06 seconds.

That was only good enough for fourth in their heat though behind Japan, reigning champions Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

However, their passage through to the final was confirmed after they picked up one of the two fastest losers spots.

And Kilty, who won 4x100m European gold in 2014, was quick to come out with the fighting talk ahead of today’s (Friday’s) final.

“We knew we had a task on with lane one. For some reason all of our sprinters were getting lane one which is a bit unlucky,” said Kilty, speaking before the draw was announced for the final, which sees Britain again on the inside lane.

“But that’s the fastest time we’ve ever run in lane one.

“I don’t think I’ve seen another team run that quick from lane one so that shows something.

“Fingers crossed they put us in an outer lane for the final. But no matter what we do, we’ll keep fighting and we’re still in contention for a medal definitely.”

As a comparison going into the final, America were the fastest qualifiers in a season’s best 37.65 while reigning champions Jamaica were fifth fastest, again in a season’s best 37.94 – although sprint king Usain Bolt will no doubt return to the lineup for the final to boost his country’s ranks.

The last time Kilty contested a major championship final it all ended in disaster as Great Britain dropped the baton to leave their hopes in tatters at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.

That immediately prompted the ‘Teesside Tornado’ to unleash his emotions having disagreed with the decision to leave out Aikines-Aryeetey for Ujah in the final.

But that dispute appeared to be in the past in Rio on Thursday however as Kilty insisted they were all pulling in the same direction.

It will seemingly take a big improvement for the team to get on the medal rostrum although the Brit was confident of running faster than their heats.

“When we’re in that final we’re going to bring it. We’ve never gone slower in the final,” he added.

“We’re going to take it out with the adrenalin and the occasion and no matter what we’re going to be better.

“It’s the Olympics, we’re enjoying it. We’re confident, and we’re a big family.”

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