Ok, I’ll bite: Apart from John Steffensen, who aCtually did reach a world final, who else among the so called Aussie amateurs can you name that has made such a declaration? Maybe Tamsyn Lewis but she has won a world indoor gold. Darren Clark said it also when he was 17 so we could forgive him but then he did go on to run in two Olympic finals.
On the contrary I would say most amateurs are so well aware of the world scene that they talk themselves down, actually sometimes have an inferiority complex and don’t believe it’s possible for them to become an Olympic finalist. Makes the coach’s job ever so much harder.