SYDNEY -- Yasuko Tajima said she was swimming faster than ever in the 400-meter individual medley relay, Masami Tanaka staked her claim on gold and Takashi Yamamoto might just smile his way into the medals. But head coach Koji Ueno seemed to be hanging on, white-knuckled, to the hope that new training methods will erase the prospect of Japan bombing once again in the Olympic pool in Sydney. "We've reflected on the past national team, so we've decided to provide a very happy environment for them (the swimmers) to train in -- a comfortable place so the swimmers can have good composure, because each swimmer has different demands," Ueno told reporters Wednesday at a press conference that, at times, seemed more like a group therapy session than the unveiling of a team aiming to stamp its mark as a force in international swimming. The comments of 200-meter butterfly swimmer Takashi Yamamoto, an Atlanta finalist, are a case in point. "I've been doing mental training at university, by relaxing and by smiling in the training," he said. "So, at the meets I am quite relaxed."

Japanese swimming officials scrapped the traditional boot camp approach to training after their much-touted athletes choked in 1996 in Atlanta, failing to bring home a single medal. In its place, they introduced more individual training and psychological exercises aimed at overcoming a trend in which athletes were under-performing in big international competitions.

Mai Nakamura, who holds the world's second-fastest time in the 100 meters backstroke this year, said: "I've been training mentally and I've been thinking specifically of the Olympic Games. So, I think my mental state is quite well prepared. If I swim as I imagined, it will be OK."

Tanaka, who hold's this year's fastest time in the 100-meter breaststroke and second-fastest time in the 200, said: "I've been doing some image training -- training to think positively, and not think of my fears."

Despite her steely look of determination, however, Tanaka admits to having nerves.

"Because I think too much about it (the Olympics) in day to day life, I try to do things that I like to relax," she said. "Since I've been here, I've been taking long baths to relax."

Tajima, meanwhile, professed to feel no pressure.

"I've never felt that I have to do my best because I'm first up, because it is an individual race and I just have to think about myself," she said.

The 19-year-old from Kanagawa, who holds the fastest time in the world this year in the 400-individual medley relay, said she had set her sights on gold.

"I'm in good condition. My speed is going up. I want to swim a very aggressive race."

Tanaka also spoke more strongly than ever about her ambitions.

"I've always told myself to do the best swim I can. I just need to rethink what I want to achieve from this. I want to be the best in the world."