Bye boost in Lee's bid for Olympic gold
If that transpires he will be within two fights of contesting for honours.
High Performance Director Gary Keegan is very satisfied with the Limerick man's final preparations which he completed in France.
"He is very focused, well prepared mentally and in superb physical shape. The training camp went exceptionally well.
"His resting heart rate was 40. Then he took a break - went home for a few days - and it was right down to 35 when he returned to the camp.
"At the camp we were working out regularly with our good friends, the French and the Germans, as well as Australia. But there were 15 nations in all coming and going.
"The second part of the training camp was mostly about sparring - sharpening stuff - and there was a lot of technical and tactical type stuff.
"It was action all the way and Andy just revelled in the atmosphere. It was evident he enjoyed every minute of but, at the same time, I think he was glad to get out of it and move on to the next stage.
"Mentally he felt very good and there is no doubt about the fact that he is extremely well prepared."
Boxing Team Manager Sean Canavan travelled to France last week to oversee the final preparations.
Lee arrived in Athens last night, accompanied by former Olympian Billy Walsh, while he will have the services of his personal physio, Jonathan McEvoy, also a Limerick man, who is the official OCI physiotherapist in Athens.
Though the list still shows an entry of 32 in the middleweight division, officials admit this figure could drop to 24, meaning eight boxers will get a bye through to the second round.
"If he doesn't get a bye we won't be disappointed because he is ready to box right now and an easy draw would be better than a bye," Keegan said.
"There are no easy contests in the Olympics. Everyone is fighting for his life. They want to win. Look what happened to Barry McGuigan in 1980," he added.
Keegan also drafted in the assistance of Barcelona gold medallist Michael Carruth to assist in Lee's pre-Games work out.
"He is an Olympic gold medallist, he has reached the pinnacle," Keegan said.
"He had been more or less on the fringes in recent years and he was delighted to come in to help Andy. I thought I would bring him in for motivation and for the benefit of his experience and it worked very well."
While his Olympic gold medal bears testament to his commitment, dedication and discipline, as well as his talent, those who know Michael would agree that motivation is another part of his character.
"He is an Olympic champion and that's what we all aspire to," Lee said.
"It was great to just have him around, drawing from his experience and listening to the little things that can be so important on the day.
"You go out there to win. I would not make any predictions but I want to win a gold medal. Everyone does. You have to leave that dressing room full of positive thoughts. That's how I think in every situation. Just be ready for it. Nerves never enter into it.
"I felt good in the ring in Madrid," he said.
"I'm feeling physically stronger and I am hitting a lot harder. I am hurting guys now."
Other arrivals at the Athletes' Village last night included cyclists Mark Scanlon and Ciaran Power, who will be in action on Saturday in the road race around the streets of Athens.
Fresh from his post-Tour de France programme, Scanlon flew in from Rome, while Power and team manager Martin O'Loughlin arrived from a training camp in Cyprus.
Today they will have an opportunity to ride around the 13.2km circuit around the centre of Athens, which will be closed to traffic this evening.
The Irish team manager, who is still an active cyclist and a prominent member of Cidona Carrick Wheelers, has been given permission to ride the route along with a field that includes the defending champion, Germany's Jan Ullrich.
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