Walker Bird-Smith a genuine medal shot

It should come as no surprise that it is a male walker who is best placed to get Australia off to a flying start in the track and field competition at the Rio Olympics.

The shock is that it's not Jared Tallent.

The 35-year-old Tallent has been personally responsible for three of the seven athletics medals won by Australia at the previous two Games.

But Tallent has withdrawn from the 20km event on Friday (early Saturday AEST) because of a sore hamstring, preferring to target his specialist 50km event later in the Games where he is the defending champion.

In his absence, the focus shifts to rising star Dane Bird-Smith.

"On a blue-sky day I want a medal," said the 24-year-old son of dual Olympic walker David Smith.

"I can't lie, I really want a medal bad.

"I'm hungry for it but I'm not going to sit around and pump myself up and say it's an easy job done.

"Putting it all together is the toughest part of the job."

Bird-Smith proved his pedigree by defying a virus to finish fourth at the World Race Walking Cup in Rome in June.

The chest infection limited his training for a couple of weeks, but the Australian insists he has arrived in Rio in career-best form.

The walks are among the events most affected by the banning of the Russian athletics team over systemic doping, further opening up the chase for podium places in the men's 20km.

"You clear it out of your mind after they made the final decision that Russia's done and dusted," said Bird-Smith.

"It's a really good thing that the IAAF have stood by their decision and for all the clean athletes out there."

Among the other 13 Australian athletes in action on day one is long jumper Fabrice Lapierre, who has declared he is ready to go one better than his silver-medal effort at last year's world championships.

Lapierre has turned his career around since linking up with US master-coach Dan Pfaff a couple of years ago and is now a noted big-event performer.

"I'm going in there with that mentality of 'Yeah, I'm going out there to win, I believe I am going to win'," said Lapierre.

"It's a good feeling to know that Australia is looking to me for a medal, I love that and I thrive off it.

"I have only been to one Olympics but going to major championships is what I love, it's my favourite thing."

Lapierre will be joined in long jump qualifying by Henry Frayne, who will also fancy his chances of advancing to Saturday's final if his fragile body holds up.

Tallent doesn't hit the roads of Rio until the 50km walk on August 19.

If he finishes on the podium he will become the first Australian male track and field athlete to medal at three separate Olympics.

Among the other legitimate Australian medal shots are 2009 discus world champion Dani Samuels and long jumper Brooke Stratton, who's ranked third in the world this year behind great American Brittney Reese.

Having overcome an ankle injury suffered last month in Monte Carlo, Alana Boyd should also be a contender in the women's pole vault, having recently smashed her own national record with a clearance of 4.81m.