Sir Chris Hoy
Age: 36
Place of Birth: Scotland
Main Event: Men’s Keirin
Rival: Shane Perkins, Australia
Medal Prospects: Aiming for gold in all three but will probably get silver in all except the Keirin.
Chris Hoy dominated the last Olympics, winning three gold medals. This time he is by no means guaranteed another clean sweep. However, his main event and the
one in which no one seems able to touch him is the keirin. The sprint race that sees competitors reach up to 70km/h is still the Scot’s domain and he proved that by winning gold at the Track Cycling World Cup and the World Championships earlier this year.
Date of event: August 7
Odds: 4/5
Phillips Idowu
Age: 33
Place of Birth: England
Main Event: Triple Jump
Rival: Current world champion Christian Taylor, USA
Medal Prospects: If fully fit has a good chance of taking gold
Phillips Idowu, while considered one of Team GB’s best gold medal hopes, has cast a lot of doubt on his chances by his actions this year. He has only competed three times since January, most recently pulling out of the London Diamond League meeting with a hip problem. His reported injury issues and his supposed non-existent relationship with team manager Charles Van Commenee will hopefully not prove to be too much of a distraction when it comes to the competition.
Dates of event: August 7 – August 9
Odds: 6/1
Alistair Brownlee
Age: 24
Place of Birth: England
Main Event: Triathlon
Rival: His brother Jonny
Medal Prospects: Hot favourite for gold.
Alistair Brownlee has been earmarked as a potential gold medal winner in London for the last few years. He hasn’t been able to dominate the sport to the extent he initially promised as his career has been marred by several injury problems. Most seriously, a fractured femur saw him unable to defend his 2009 World Championship title. This year he missed the first few races due to an Achilles tendon tear. However, on his return in Kitzbuehel last month he won with his brother behind him in second,suggesting that he is fully recovered and ready for the Games.
Date of event: August 7
Odds: 65/100
Shara Proctor
Age: 23
Place of Birth: Anguilla
Main Event: Long Jump
Rival: There are several women who she will have to fight it out with to make thepodium.
Medal Prospects: Will be aiming for a bronze.
Shara Proctor, born in Anguilla, only declared for Great Britain 20 months ago when forced to by the International Olympic Committee but she already has the national indoor and outdoor records. Her jump of 6.95m set a new outdoor record and put her in the mix for a medal in London as only five other women have jumped further this year.
Dates of event: August 7 – August 8
Odds: 20/1
Bryony Shaw
Age: 29
Place of Birth: England
Main Event: Windsurfing RS:X
Rival: Marina Alabau, Spain
Medal Prospects: Gold is the dream but silver or bronze might be more realistic.
Bryony Shaw became Britain’s first Olympic women's windsurfing medallist when she took home bronze from the 2008 Games. Since Beijing she has seen great success, her biggest highlight being a gold medal at the 2010 World Cup in France. She ranked fourth at the last World Championships but will see herself as having a great chance of winning gold.
Dates of event: July 31 - August 7
Odds: 4/1
Nick Dempsey
Age: 31
Place of Birth: England
Main Event: Windsurfing RS:X
Rival: Nimrod Mashich, Israel
Medal Prospects: Determined to get gold but current world number Mashich will probably get in his way. Silver at best.
Nick Dempsey comes into the 2012 Games determined to finish on the podium after a disappointing fourth place in Beijing. Since 2008 he has worked hard and enjoyed success, winning World Championship gold for the first time in 2009. That World Championships happened to have been at Weymouth and Portland, the venue for this year’s Olympic – surely a promising sign for the first Britain to win a medal in windsurfing.
Dates of event: July 31 - August 7
Odds: 4/1
Victoria Pendleton
Age: 31
Place of Birth: England
Main Event: Individual Sprint
Rival: Anna Meares, Australia
Medal Prospects: Will be vying with main rival Anna Meares for gold.
Victoria Pendleton won gold at the World Championships in April, beating Meares in the semi-final, so she comes into the Games on a high. This will be her last Games and her last track competition so it carries extra weight and importance for her.
Date of event: August 7
Odds: 11/5
Robbie Grabarz
Age: 24
Place of Birth: England
Main Event: High Jump
Rival: Ivan Ukhov and Andrey Silnov, both of Russia
Medal Prospects: Gold could be within his reach.
Robbie Grabarz has quite literally jumped from relative anonymity into the limelight this year. At the end of last month he won his first European title and his personal best for the year is one centimetre short of the British record – a far cry from someone who ended last season 44th best in the world. His newfound form has seen him record the third highest jump in the world this year and given him a real chance of taking gold in London.
Dates of event: August 5 – August 7
Odds: 13/2
Tiffany Porter
Age: 24
Place of Birth: USA
Main Event: 100m Hurdles
Rival: Sally Pearson, Australia, beat her in the World Indoor Championships
Medal Prospects: Aiming for a silver or bronze.
Tiffany Porter won a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships this season and was another good medal hope for Team GB until the recurrence of a back injury at the London Diamond League meet. If she can recover there is no doubt she has the ability to challenge for the medals.
Dates of event: August 6 – August 7
Annie Lush, Lucy MacGregor and Kate MacGregor
Age: 32, 25 and 20
Main Event: Women’s Elliot 6m Team
Rival: Team USA are their closest competitor for top spot.
Medal Prospects: Should get at least silver but will be aiming for gold
The team first came together in 2010 and have since won National, European and World Championship titles. Annie Lush has experience at Olympic level having been part of the GB set up in Athens in 2004. Lucy MacGregor, the elder of the two sisters, skippers the boat and has a long and impressive track record for a 25-year-old. Her younger sister Kate, 20, may not have as much experience but has ample skill. As a group they have already shown their ability and will be firmly in the hunt for a medal come Games time.
Dates of event: July 29 – August 11
Odds: 11/5
Laura Bechtolsheimer
Age: 27
Place of Birth: Germany
Main Event: Dressage
Rival: There are several individuals who will prove stiff competition for a medal.
Medal Prospects: In what will be a tight competition she has a good chance of getting on the podium.
The dressage event at London 2012 is predicted to be a very close fought affair but Team GB’s Laura Bechtolsheimer has a very good chance of wining a medal. She has an impressive list of achievements to her name, having won the British National Championships three times and Britain’s first ever medal at a World Championship event.
Dates of event: August 2 – August 9
Odds: 4/1
Hannah Mills & Saskia Clark
Age: 23 and 31
Main Event: 470 Class
Rival: Spain are tipped to push them the hardest.
Medal Prospects: The duo are in a great position to take gold.
This year has so far looked promising for the newly formed partnership and they enter the Games as favourites. The duo took silver at their first major regatta in April followed by two more – including one at the Olympic test event. The Games will of course bring a different level of competition, but the two should be more than motivated as Clark looks to put the disappointment of not winning a medal in 2008 and Mills tries to prove a point at her first Olympics.
Dates of event: August 3 – August 10
Odds: 11/4
Andrew Osagie
Age: 24
Place of Birth: England
Main Event: 800m
Rival: He will have to overcome a very competitive field to make the medals.
Medal Prospect: Outside chance of a bronze
Andrew Osagie has been heralded by some as a possible return to the days of successful men's British middle-distance runners. He may not have huge experience or many major medals but the 24-year-old won a bronze medal in March at the European Indoor Championships and is looking to build on for the Games. He insists on taking everything one step at a time but some people are already tipping him for great things.
Dates of event: August 6 – August 9
Odds: 66/1
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