Team GB medal hopefuls in action today: August 8
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Your support makes all the difference.Your one-stop guide to the Team GB medal hopes in action at the Olympics today...
Shanaze Reade
Age: 23
Place of Birth: England
Main Event: BMX
Rival: Sarah Walker, New Zealand
Medal Prospects: Will have her sights set on an overdue gold
Shanaze Reade was expected to take gold in Beijing in 2008 but her aggressive style saw her crash out on the last bend and miss out on a medal. She was impressive at last year’s World Championship where she won gold despite withdrawing four days before the event with a damaged wrist and then re-entering. If she can keep her head she should be the one to beat.
Dates of event: August 8 – August 10
Odds: 7/4
Mo Farah
Age: 29
Place of Birth: Somalia
Main Event: 5000m
Rival: Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia – also reigning 10,000m Olympic champion.
Medal Prospects: Will be aiming for gold
Mo Farah did not truly make his name on the international stage until 2010 when he won gold at the European Championships in both his distances, making him only the fifth man to accomplish the feat. His relocation to the USA to train has reaped rewards as he won silver in the 10,000m and gold in the 5000m in the World Championships in South Korea in 2011.
Dates of 5000m: August 8 – August 11
Odds 5000m: 2/1
Hannah England
Age: 25
Place of Birth: England
Main Event: 800m
Rival: Her biggest obstacle will be her fitness.
Medal Prospects: Dame Kelly Holmes believes that if she can recover her fitness she should be able to get on the podium.
Hannah England has been dubbed the next Dame Kelly Holmes after her surprise silver medal at the World Championships last year. However the young runner has had very little preparation time this year after having a spike tear through her Achilles tendon in May. Her performance at the London Grand Prix was her first one back and she lagged in the last 300m, unsurprisingly since she wasn’t allowed to stand up for more than three minutes at a time over a two week period. If she can keep working and recover her fitness she has the ability to make the medals.
Date of the 800m: August 8 – August 11
Perri Shakes-Drayton
Age: 23
Place of Birth: England
Main Event: 400m Hurdles
Rival: Natalya Antyukh, Russia
Medal Prospects: Could snatch gold in a very open field.
Perri Shake-Drayton proved to the world that she has the ability to take gold in the Games when she raced to victory at the London Diamond League Grand Prix. Her
time from that run was not only a personal best, but also put her joint second on the world list for this year – all on a wet and windy English night. If she can prove that it wasn’t a one off, then in a field that lacks stand out runners, she could even be in the hunt for a gold medal.
Dates of event: August 5 – August 8
Odds: 11/2
Tim Brabants
Age: 35
Place of Birth: England
Main Event: K-1 1000m Outright
Rival: Reigning world champion Adam van Koeverden, Canada
Medal Prospects: Bronze
A serious shoulder injury two years ago almost ended Time Brabants career. However, the veteran Olympian is back for his fourth Games and is determined to defend the gold that he won in 2008. His lack of competition over the past couple of years leaves him as an outsider for a medal and a bit of an unknown quantity; but he has shown signs of being back to his best and on his day has the ability and experience to make the podium.
Dates of event: August 6 – August 8
Odds: 14/1
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 the podium.
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
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
Women’s Hockey
Rival: The Netherlands are favourites and are also in Team GB’s group.
Medal Prospects: The team should be in the hunt for bronze.
Team GB’s women are ranked 4th in the world coming into the Olympics. An encouraging performance saw them finish runners-up in the Women’s Championship Trophy at the start of the year but their most recent competition, the London Cup, saw them finish in fifth. However, four of the side’s key players were unavailable for the competition so the team will almost certainly put on better displays in the Games.
Dates of event: July 29 – August 10
Odds: 11/2
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
Nicola Adams
Age: 29
Place of Birth: England
Main Event: Boxing Flyweight
Rival: Cancan Ren, China
Medal Prospects: Will probably be yet another showdown between Adams and Ren for gold.
Nicola Adams was the first British woman to win a major title when she triumphed at the European Championships in 2011. She has finished second place in the World Championships three times in a row and this year has been characterised by bouts with current World number one Cancan Ren. Adams and Ren have met twice this year, Adams won the first encounter but Ren triumphed in the second to win the World Championships.
Dates of event: August 5 – August 9
Odds: 7/4
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