NEW Australian coach Craig Hilliard admits life without Sally Pearson has him bracing for the prospect of no medals in Beijing.
Hilliard made the frank assessment on the eve of the world championships, saying Australia's 45-member team is in a "transition" phase ahead of next year's Rio Olympics.
"It's tough at the top, it's tough to get medals," Hilliard said. "But if you are hovering around that fourth or fifth ranking in the world, you've got to go in with an expectation that you're going to win a medal. The realism is we don't have a lot of medal chances. That's reality. 
"There's no point in me sitting here rolling out a bunch of six other athletes, going 'they're a medal chance, they're a medal chance' and they're not.
"Hopefully we can move a bunch of athletes such as (pole vaulter) Alana Boyd, (discus thrower) Benn Harradine into that top eight and closer to the medal mark. That's generally in the past where we've fallen down.
"We've been OK at the top end but a lot of athletes who we would have expected to make top 12 or top eight (haven't done so) .
"Obviously we want medals. I would love three medals but in reality we could end up with zero.
"I don't necessarily see that's going to be a failure as we are in a transition period now." broken wrist Australia won three medals at the 2013 world championships in Moscow when Pearson and javelin thrower Kim Mickle claimed silver and Jared Tallent a bronze in the 50km walk.
Pearson is out with a broken wrist, which leaves Mickle, Tallent and 2009 world discus champion Dani Samuels as the main medal chances.
The last time Australia didn't win a medal at a world championships was in Tokyo in 1991.
It will be just the third time in two decades that Australia hasn't had a "rock star" athlete - a Cathy Freeman, Jana Pittman, Steve Hooker or Pearson - who were considered medal locks leading into the major championships.
"Jared is in an unfashionable event obviously," said Hilliard, who took over in   April after controversial figure Eric Hollingsworth was sacked. "That's just the way it is. But he is probably one of our best-performed athletes of all time."
WORLD TITLES Beijing, starts tomorrow BEST AUSSIES Dani Samuels (discus): The 2009 world champion has rediscovered her mojo this season finishing top three in every Diamond League event.
Kim Mickle (javelin)): Announced herself on the world stage at the Moscow world titles two years ago winning silver and then backed it up with Commonwealth gold.
Jared Tallent (20km/50km walk): Two-time Olympic silver medallist who has been robbed by drug cheats previously and hoping for a change of luck.
SURPRISE PACKETS Eleanor Patterson (high jump): The teenager from Leongatha showed her enormous talent by winning Commonwealth gold at her first senior outing.Madeline Heiner (3000m steeplechase): Former promising junior who had seven years out and has produced an incredible 18 months, breaking her personal best 17 times.