This year's Games could prove to be the best since 1920 for a Team GB buoyed by a new confidence, writes Moira Gordon
SINCE THE very first Olympic Games, in 1896, Britain have had a presence on the medals leaderboard. Finishing ahead of all comers in 1908, when London hosted the Games, the worst performance came in Atlanta 12 years ago, when only Steve Redgrave and
Matthew Pinsett in the coxless pairs collected gold.
Over the course of the past two Olympics, the British team amassed 58 medals, 20 of which were gold, to finish 10th in the overall standings at the conclusion of each Games.
This time, though, the US Olympic committee have warned the rest of the world to beware a buoyed British team intent on scaling the medal table.
In Athens, Team GB amassed nine gold, nine silver and 12 bronze, but with London 2012 looming, more money than ever has been invested across the sports, with fourth place in the table the aim in four years' time.
The British Olympic Association have refused to make their own predictions for these Games public, but UK Sport have said the team should be pitching for eighth place in the medal rankings, which would represent the best performance by a British team at an unboycotted Games since 1920.
Having discussed aspirations with the sports who will represent Team GB, 17 of the 25 claimed they were harbouring ambitions of podium appearances, with cycling the most positive, predicting a haul of six medals.
Having attained gold in eight of the 10 Olympic events at the World Track Cycling Championships in Manchester earlier this year, their outlook could still be considered conservative, especially with proven Olympic stars such as Chris Hoy and Bradley Wiggins leading the charge, but they refuse to take anything for granted.
Athletics, rowing and sailing are the other perceived strongholds, and are the only teams other than cycling which feature returning gold medallists.
However, several other sports, from archery and equestrian to judo, canoeing and swimming, are confident of weighing in with multiple medallists.
The accumulated figure submitted by the sports is 41 medals but UK Sport have erred on the side of caution, saying they are looking for 35 medals, of which 10-12 should be gold.
Let the Games begin.
1 Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb, Pippa Wilson – Sailing (Yngling class) Ayton and Webb won Olympic gold in Athens as two-thirds of the Yngling crew which was affectionately nicknamed "Three Blondes in a Boat". Having parted company with the third member of that triumphant team, Shirley Robertson, they joined forces with Wilson at the beginning of 2007 and they have made the podium at every major regatta they've competed in since. Strong contenders in the Yngling category, their
2 Tim Brabants – Canoeing (K1 – 500m and 1,000m) A man who seems ready to finally fulfil the potential he has shown for a number of years. In Athens four years ago he set a world record in the heats but proved to have peaked too early. Unable to reproduce that quality of performance in the final, he finished a disappointing fifth. But he has learned from that and will compete in Beijing as the reigning world champion over the 1,000m distance, rendering him one of the favourites for gold.
3 Euan Burton – Judo (U-81kg) A bronze medal winner at the World Championships less than a year ago, beating the 2000 Olympic Champion Giuseppe Maddaloni, to secure the bauble, he is also the reigning European bronze medallist. The Edinburgh-based judoka is a definite medal contender in Beijing but such is the nature of the sport, if he can find his best on the day those who work with him believe there is scope there for him to bring home a medal of a slightly more impressive hue.
4 Chris Hoy – Cycling (Keirin, sprint, team sprint) Throughout an impressive career, the 32-year-old Scot has won Olympic, World and Commonwealth titles and while the 1km Time Trial, which he won in Athens four years ago, has been removed from the Games, he is still a prime contender to secure gold in at least one event in Beijing.
At the World Track Championships in March the cool competitor won both the keirin and individual sprint golds, as well as silver in the team sprint.
5 Shanaze Reade – Cycling (BMX) This is a cyclist with an affinity with gold medals, having won them with great consistency on the track and while in BMX competition.
Powerful and determined, she thrives on the big occasion, winning her first track gold just two months after she started racing a track bike. She has a long-term pedigree when it comes to BMX, though, with five consecutive world titles at junior and then senior level at BMX. It's little wonder the 19-year-old is the favourite to win the Games' inaugural BMX event.
6 Heather Fell – Modern Pentathlon Fell, like her British team-mate Katy Livingston, is among the world's elite in a sport which will see them compete in pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and running in the course of one day in Beijing. It is a sport in which Britain has fared well since the women's event was introduced at the Sydney Games in 2000, winning half the medals on offer.
7 Victoria Pendleton – Cycling (sprint) Anyone who doubted this British cyclist was a force to be reckoned with were given cause for a rethink when she rode away from the 2007 World Championships with three golds and almost repeated the feat, winning two golds and a silver at this year's tournament. With only one sprint discipline included in the women's track cycling in Beijing, she is restricted to the individual sprint but if the event goes to form, she will be standing atop the podium.
8 Phillips Idowu – Athletics (triple jump) After his three no-jumps in the final in Athens he knows this is his opportunity for redemption. The hair is dyed red, considered a lucky colour in China, but if he can hold it together mentally, allowing him to find his rhythm on the day and nail his technique, then there should be no need for luck. Of the world's 10 best leaps this year, Idowu is the only man to feature more than once, and has the top two distances. The fact that he nailed the best of those jumps just last month, at the British trials, suggests he may just be in the right form at the right time.
9 Bradley Wiggins – Cycling (individual/team pursuit & madison) If Kelly Holmes was lauded after her double gold-medal achievements and Steve Redgrave was lorded for his five consecutive Olympic triumphs, what will happen to Bradley Wiggins if he achieves his goal of three gold medals on the Beijing track this month? Amazingly, that ambition is eminently imaginable given that he completed that same hat-trick of golds at the World Championships, winning all three of the Olympic events he will compete in.
10 Katherine Grainger, Debbie Flood, Annie Vernon, Fran Houghton – Rowing (quadruple sculls) Even when other sports were failing to impress in recent Olympics, Britain's rowers have delivered on an impressively consistent basis and this quartet has an excellent chance of becoming Britain's first female gold medal-winning rowers. In Grainger, this crew has the most successful female British rower ever and together the four have won three consecutive world titles. Although Germany are defending champions, the biggest danger could be the Chinese four.
The full article contains 1269 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
