Keith Morgan has thrown down a host of opponents in his illustrious career but the one he will never beat is Father Time.

As the Calgarian judoka prepares for his third and final Olympic Games, his 30-year-old body isn't as spry as it once was. He knows he'll have to fight through numerous aches and pains in his quest for a medal.

"This is my last Olympics and I want to give it all I've got and just give 'er basically. I can't hold back," said Morgan, one of Canada's most decorated judokas with seven nat-ional titles under his belt along with numerous international medals.

"I have some nagging injuries, like torn cartilage in my shoulder and things like that. I've been dealing with it for the last few months but on that day, I'm not going to feel it or think about it. If it means I need surgery later, then so be it. My body's starting to feel its age and I'm feeling every 30 years of my existence.

"You've just got to let loose and give 'er."

It's all he can do as he seeks his first Olympic medal in one of the toughest weight classes in the sport of judo -- where no less than 10 athletes have a shot at reaching the podium.

"I firmly believe I've got a legitimate shot at winning a medal ... I've beaten 95 percent of the guys that are going to be there at some time or another," said Morgan, who moved to Montreal to attend the National Judo Training Centre.

"It's just a matter of putting it all together on one day and that's what I intend on doing."

Morgan finished fifth at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, coming two wins away from the gold medal and one away from a silver or bronze.

He's come a long way since he first got into judo as a scrawny seven-year-old. His mother, Corinne, thought it would be more productive if Morgan and his twin brother, Colin, channelled their penchant for beating on each other into something more constructive.

At first, he and Colin -- who competed with his brother in the 1996 Games in Atanta -- didn't like it.

"We didn't know what judo was at the time. We wanted to quit the first day because we thought we were going to be kicking and punching like the Karate Kid," he said.

"But my mom said, 'I paid for six months so you're going to stay in it for six months' and we fell in love with the sport.

"It's an extension of what we like to do. We're not aggressive kids but we liked to get in there and rumble and that's what we do in judo."

Although the brothers were winning tournaments right from the start, a trip to judo's birthplace really helped in their development.

"We got really lucky because we got invited to Japan for one year when we were 16 years old," said Morgan.

"They do judo there like we play hockey here and that really helped propel our careers even more."

Now he's come to the final major competition of his career. Morgan will have to call on all his experience when the Olympic judo 90-kg competition starts Aug. 18.

- - -

FAST FACTS

KEITH MORGAN

EVENT -- Judoka.

AGE -- 30.

OCCUPATION -- Athlete.

CLUB -- National Judo Training Centre in Montreal.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -- Silver medal at the 2003 Pan-Am Games, silver at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, gold at the 1999 World University Games, fifth at the 2000 Olympics, seven-time senior national champion.