IT took Steve Redgrave four months to decide whether or not to participate in his next Olympics — it took Kate Allenby just hours to make the same momentous decision.

The pentathlon bronze medallist has admitted she is hungry for gold and will be competing in Athens in four years' time — providing she can keep body and soul together.

Talking to the Times, the 26-year-old, who was brought up in Tavistock, described the highs and lows of the 24-hours following her stunning performance in the ladies' modern pentathlon in Sydney a month ago.

'I fell across the line exhausted but so pleased that everything had come together on the day,' said Kate. 'I was thrilled not just for myself but for my friend Steph Cook who had taken gold.

'Winning the bronze medal was the culmination of a long, long time of training, dedication and commitment and I was really chuffed. But if you ask me about not being Olympic champion — that is so devastating which is why you will see me again in four years' time.

'At the time I was so happy but later on in the evening it hit me. All I could think about were the mistakes I had made during the competition.

'I know I can do it — I desperately want the gold medal and will be working hard to try and achieve that ultimate dream.'

Kate met up with her coaches this week to plan her punishing training programme for the next four years.

'It is not a long time — next year I have the World Championships at Millfield and, following our success in Sydney, we shall want to take a host of medals in the individual and team events.

'The year after will probably be a consolidation year. Olympic qualification starts the year after that so I will only have a short time to sit back and reflect.'

Having gone over every second of one-day competition in Sydney, Kate knows she made two crucial mistakes in the fencing and riding disciplines.

'I allowed the Danish girl to get too close to me and make a hit in the fencing and lost my concentration for a second when we knocked the first fence down in the riding. If I hadn't that would have given me another 70 extra points and I got beaten by 40 points — I just know it's there.'

By the time she gets to Greece for the 2004 Olympic Games, Kate will be 30 years old.

'In athletic terms that is old but in pentathlon terms it is not,' she explained. 'If I was an athlete I would probably have sacked it by now.'

Her daily schedule, which begins at first light, takes in four or five sports and she will have to keep her body fit, toned and in perfect working condition.

'I want to put on muscle bulk for my swimming. This year I had really bad problems in the pool. My legs kept cramping up every time I did a hard set so I wasn't able to get in the mileage over the winter.

'Two months before the Olympic Games, I injured my shoulder and was on anti-inflammatory drugs. Up on the Gold Coast everything was going disastrously wrong so when I saw the clock after my swim I was stunned.'

Since her return from Australia Kate has been exposed to the inevitable media circus.

Has she coped with endless interviews and TV appearances?

She said: 'I am a jovial type of person and it has been a lot of fun. But for Steph it has been exhausting. She is the Olympic champion and everyone wants a piece of the action, I haven't had to give as many interviews.'

And that nude photograph in a national newspaper with Kate posing alongside other athletes covered in metallic body-paint to match their winning medal?

'Our media press guy in Bath rang up and said the paper wanted to do this so I said they had better pay me lots! I thought it was a bit of a giggle but Mum and Dad were not very impressed!'

At the British training village on Australia's Gold Coast, Kate, along with the other pentathletes, was unaware of the following at home.

'We didn't realise what a storm the games had whipped up in Britain because we were protected and were there to do our job.

'It was when we got home we were stunned by the attention. I went back to my old school, St Joseph's in Launceston, and saw collages of the Olympics in every classroom.

'Back in Tavistock, people keep stopping me to say congratulations. I went to Dad's surgery and there was a congratulation placard strung across the entrance. The response has been wonderful.'

She paid tribute to her family for their support — her parents James and Gill, sister Pippa, brother Simon, aunt, uncle, boyfriend, childhood friend and godfather were all there on the day of the competition.

'The day before the event I didn't want anything to do with the pentathlon so I spent the day with them which was wonderful. Without that support I would not have made that podium.'

But it is her father, a GP in Tavistock, who has been her biggest influence.

'He pointed me in the right direction and just knows how I tick and how to handle me,' she admits. 'Because he is a sportsman he just manages to say the right thing at the right time and is always there for the big event.

'Once you have the technique, it is all about self-belief and commitment and if it is right up here,' she said, pointing to her head, 'then you can do it on the day.'

And self-belief she will need if she is to step back on that Olympic podium. The next hurdle is to attract sponsorship for the next four years — her contract with Barclaycard runs out in December and her Adidas contract finished with the Sydney Games.

'I just know it's there,' she repeated, before dashing off to show her bronze medal to grandfather in Bournemouth.