British triathlon star Helen Jenkins believes that home advantage at the London Olympics could make the difference for her gold medal chances.

Welshwoman Jenkins, 27, is the reigning ITU world champion, a title she also won in 2008.

However she was only able to finish 21st in the last Summer Games in Beijing.

“I’d love to win the gold medal, but so would everyone else,” she told Eurosport. “In Beijing I hadn’t raced for a year and a half due to a lot of injuries [which affected me adversely].

“The advantages of competing in London are that you can eat the food you normally have and are inside your comfort zone: getting around is easier and everything is in a language you can understand!

“In Beijing it was pretty humid, which makes it tough, but in the UK you have no idea what it will be like: at the test event, when we arrived in London it was humid and hot but on the day it was cool and normal. Then for the men’s event it was torrential rain!

“[And] I’ve had a look at the Olympic course, with all the barriers in place, which is great because you feel like you’re getting a headstart on your rivals. It makes you comfortable and eliminates the stress closer to the day. ”

Jenkins won that test event, held on the Olympic course in Hyde Park last year and which was a significant competition on the world calendar in its own right.

She will be adopting the same approach in the run-up to London 2012.

“I won the test event, and was on the podium in every race last season except for the one I crashed in,” she continued.

“I will go with the same plan as last year, where my main aim was the test event [which, like the Olympics, was held] in August.

“I’m flying to Australia in a few weeks for a training race then to San Diego for a race, which will hopefully get me race fit. Then it’s to Madrid where I will have 10 weeks to decide exactly how to build for the Olympics.”

She added that her consistent performance across the three disciplines of swimming, cycling and running will also be a help.

“I enjoy the running the most, but I’m pretty even over the three disciplines: it’s better that way rather than relying on being really fast in one,” she said. “It means you can go in knowing you can deal with whatever happens.

“You tend to spend more time training on the bikes, but that’s just the nature of the discipline – you spend more time on the bikes in the event. The biking is over about an hour, while the swimming is 20 minutes and running around 35.

“There’s also gym sessions and rehab work to fit in which are essential in staying injury free.”

British triathlon has enjoyed a boost in popularity in recent years, with the Brownlee brothers Alistair and Jonathan – who finished first and second in the men’s ITU world championship in 2001 – also jewels in a crown which sits atop massive interest at grassroots level.

“The sport seems to be growing in this country at all levels,” Jenkins acknowledged. “The success of the British team has meant more attention press-wise, while there have been high-profile people like Jenson Button, who regularly competes, involved which helps get people into it at amateur level, as well as the kids.

“It’s the new challenge: people used to want to do a marathon, but now they choose a triathlon.”

British Airways, the official airline of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is proud to support Helen Jenkins by flying her around the world as part of her training and racing schedule as she prepares for London 2012.

Jonathan Symcox - on Twitter @Symco_Eurosport / Eurosport