The Olympics in Rio are just weeks away. The athletes have been training hard and for some it marks their first Olympic Games, whilst for others it could be their last. Team GB have been set a target of winning 48 medals at the Olympics, with athletes expected to return with seven and cyclists eight. Here we look at those who are most likely to return with those medals.
Strong Chances (Medal Prediction)
Adam Peaty
Age: 21 Previous Golds: 0
Peaty has recorded a time of 58.41 seconds for the 100m breaststroke already this year and also holds the world record in the event, at 57.92 seconds. He believes there’s more to come and age is on his side. If he’s correct, he’ll be able to overpower reigning champion Cameron van der Burgh and do what no British man has done since Adrian Moorhouse in 1988, and win a gold medal in swimming.
Andy Murray
Age: 29 Previous Golds: 1
Murray won gold and silver four years ago and has warmed up for the Olympics by winning Wimbledon. His previous Games success was on grass, but he should have no problems negotiating the hard courts in Rio, on the basis that seven of his nine Grand Slam finals have been played on a hard surface.
Laura Trott
Age: 24 Previous Golds: 2
Trott announced herself at London 2012, winning 2 gold medals and has become the best female cyclist of her generation. She now has 23 major gold medals and she’ll be part of a team that could win at least four cycling events. If she were to win all 4, she’d be level with Sir Matthew Pinsent and Sir Ben Ainslie on the medal tables and she’s young enough to become Britain’s greatest Olympian.
Mo Farah
Age: 33 Previous Golds: 2
Farah won a 5,000m and 10,000m double at London 2012 and did the same in the Beijing World Championships last year. He has dominated the long distance races in recent years, and the long distance track races in 2016 haven’t seen any other athletes able to match his final-lap speed. Age is catching up with him, but he’s still a force to be reckoned with.
Max Whitlock
Age: 23 Previous Golds: 0
Whitlock is already a reigning World, European and Commonwealth champion in Gymnastics, but he’ll face tough competition in the Olympics. He’ll have to beat fellow Brit Louis Smith and Japan’s Kohei Uchimura to win gold. The pommel horse is his best chance of becoming Team GB’s first gymnastics gold medallist.
Jessica Ennis-Hill
Age: 30 Previous Golds: 1
London 2012’s golden girl Jessica Ennis-Hill won gold in London, went away, had a baby and returned to win again at the World Championships in Beijing last year. Teammate and fellow Brit Katarina Johnson-Thompson is a threat, whilst Canada’s Brianne Theisen-Eaton is the new pentathlon world champion. Ennis-Hill’s experience should see her win a second gold.
Giles Scott
Age: 28 Previous Golds: 0
Scott’s poised to make his Olympic debut, having been in Sir Ben Ainslie’s shadow. Had Ainslie not been there however, Scott would already be an Olympic champion. He’s won the Finn World Championship for the last three years and he’s almost guaranteed to continue Team GB’s run of winning every gold medal in the Finn class in the 21st century.
Helen Glover and Heather Stanning
Age: 29 and 31 Previous Golds: 1
Considering Team GB’s medal haul at London 2012, it seems unfathomable that they went five days without a gold medal. Glover and Stanning broke the dry spell however and have been dominating the women’s coxless pair since. They’re favourites for the gold medal.
In the hunt (Medal Prediction)
Greg Rutherford
Age: 29 Previous Golds: 1
Rutherford has warned his family to stay away from Rio because of the Zika virus, but the American long jump team won’t have the same fear. Rutherford won gold in London 2012 on “Super Saturday”, but injury has hindered his training. He’s an outside bet and will hope that he produces his best and others don’t.
Nicola Adams
Age: 33 Previous Golds: 1
Adams became the first female Olympic boxing champion in 2012 and also claimed the European Games title last year. She stands a strong chance of becoming Britain’s first boxer since Harry Malin in 1924 to win successive gold medals.
Charlotte Dujardin
Age: 30 Previous Golds: 2
Dujardin could become Britain’s most successful female Olympian in Rio. She’s competing in both the individual and team dressage events and is likely to win gold in at least one of these disciplines.
Danny Willett
Age: 28 Previous Golds: 0
Some of the world’s best golfers have pulled out of Rio amid fears of the Zika virus, but 2016 Masters Champion Danny Willett will play. He became only the second Englishman to win at Augusta and can easily be at the top of the Olympic table if he plays to his best.
James Guy
Age: 20 Previous Golds: 0
This is Guy’s first Olympics and he has a decent chance of winning, although he’s in a tough field. He won Team GB’s first world freestyle title last year, overtaking Ryan Lochte and Sun Yang in the final 50m and could do the same again in Rio.
Jason Kenny
Age: 28 Previous Golds: 3
Kenny won the sprint gold at the recent World Championships, ensuring that he’s coming into good form at the right time. He’s the favourite to win gold in the sprint in Rio, whilst the Keirin is more open-field, but two golds at Rio 2016 is more than possible for the Bolton cyclist.
Lizzie Armistead
Age: 27 Previous Golds: 0
The reigning World Champion in road cycling, Armistead is in tremendous form ahead of Rio 2016. She’s already won four one-day races this year, with the Tour of Yorkshire still to come and will be looking to go one better at the Olympics, after winning silver at London 2012.
Jade Jones
Age: 23 Previous Golds: 1
Jones won taekwondo gold at London 2012, aged just 19, but has had an injury blighted four years since. She returned to winning ways earlier this year at the German Open and retaining gold is not out of the question.
David Florence
Age: 33 Previous Golds: 0
Florence won silver at both Beijing and London in canoeing and will be looking to break his Olympic jinx at what could be his final Games. He’s the current world champion and is competing in both the individual and pairs canoe slalom.
Alistair Brownlee
Age: 28 Previous Golds: 1
One half of the Brownlee brothers, Alistair won gold at London 2012, but he’s missed a lot of training after having ankle surgery. He finished 26th in the World Triathlon Series earlier this year and he cannot be ruled out. His brother Jonny finished third in the World Series before retiring due to heat exhaustion.
Chris Froome
Age: 30 Previous Golds: 0
Froome recently won a third Tour de France and set himself the goal of winning that, as well as Olympic road race and time-trial golds at the beginning of the year. He’s scheduled to compete in two events and will start as the favourite in both of them.
Rowing Four
Age: Previous Golds: 8
This event has long been a source of medals for Team GB. Redgrave and Pinsent won it in 2000 and the British boat has been on the podium ever since. Alex Gregory won gold in 2012 and returns for another crack in a team coached by Jurgen Grobler, who’s won gold at every Games since 1972.
Jazz Carlin
Age: 25 Previous Golds: 0
Illness caused Carlin to miss 2012, but she’s set to make her Olympic debut in Rio 2016. Despite being injured at the European Championships, she still won silver in both the 400m and 800m freestyle. If she’s fully fit, she could sneak gold this year.