Ten Team Gb Hopefuls for The 2012 Olympic Games

Tom Daley

Age: 17
Event: 3, 10 metre and synchronised diving
Home town: Plymouth

The teen pin-up of the pool, Tom Daley has been in the news recently for taking a bit of time off to record a tongue-in-cheek spoof music video that appeared on You Tube. It was all a bit of fun but Tom was criticised in some quarters for paying too much attention to his publicity appearances as opposed to his training schedule. Let’s hope any undue attention isn’t reflected in the pool this summer.

Shanaze Reade

Age: 23
Event: BMX
Home town: Crewe

The disappointment of crashing at the Beijing Olympics and consequently being ranked last in the final race needs to be turned into a positive learning experience for Reade as she aims to qualify for London 2012. She’s more than used to competing against the odds as well as boys and in being the only BMX representative for Team GB she just has to stay on two wheels and kick some bootie!

Jessica Ennis

Age: 26
Event: Heptathlon and Pentathlon
Home town: Sheffield

A couple of silver medal positions in recent world championship events will stick in the throat of Ennis who is persistently ear-marked as a GB gold medal hopeful. As she’ll be approaching the grand old age of 30 in the next Olympics, 2012 is realistically her best chance of getting a medal however, she’s got to overcome some pretty powerful opponents first namely Russia’s Chernova and the Ukraine’s Dobrynska.

Ellen Gandy

Age: 20
Event: 100 and 200metre butterfly
Home town: Bromley, Kent

Having qualified for 2012 in the awesome London Aquatics Centre, Gandy is already one stroke ahead of the competition. As the current British record holder for 100m Butterfly there are high hopes for a medal finish in this year’s finals and although the twenty year old often cites nerves as her worst enemy she’ll be hoping that she can focus and blow her opponents out of the water.

Mo Fara

Age: 28
Event: 1500, 3000, 5000 and 10,000metre running
Home town: Mogadishu (Somalia)

Expectation can weigh heavy on even the most experienced athlete’s shoulders and there is a hell of a lot of pressure on Mo Fara in the lead up to summer 2012. Having lost a succession of races, with 4th place in the 3,000m final in Istanbul proving to be a particular hammer blow, Fara will need to dig deep and rebuild his confidence if he’s to emulate his 2011 gold medal win at the world championships in South Korea.

Danielle Brown

Age: 24
Event: archery
Home town: Lothersdale, North Yorkshire

This is one focused lady and although she only took up a bow five years ago Danielle’s already clocked up two gold medals as an individual and as part of the English women’s compound team. Having already achieved a first in law at Leicester University and overcome the pain of suffering from reflex sympathetic dystrophy, Danielle Brown has got what it takes to shine in 2012.

Ben Ainslie 

Age: 35
Event: Finn dinghy sailing
Home town: Macclesfield

One of the elder statesmen of Team GB, Ainslie already has: a CBE, 3 Olympic, 9 World championship and 9 European championship winner’s medals to his name. However, selection for 2012 wasn’t a formality and with only one place available competition was fierce as Great Britain boasts four of the world’s top sailors. The pressure is on but if anyone can weather the storm it’s Ben Ainslee.

Rhythmic gymnastics team 

Age: teenagers
Event: rhythmic gymnastics 
Home towns: Bath, Trowbridge, Birmingham, Gibraltar and Swindon

Having had to endure the tearful trauma of not meeting the British Gymnastics qualification rules but then being reinstated after winning their appeal, these teenagers have already been through more than enough Olympic highs and lows to last a lifetime. Although the girls are not expected to win a medal in the summer they’ve won the right to compete and like they say – you’ve got to be in it to win it – so, supple fingers crossed! 

Louis Smith

Age: 22
Event: Men’s artistic gymnastics
Home town: Peterborough

Having already represented Team GB in the 2008 Olympics and gained silver medals for the pommel horse at European and Commonwealth level, Smith is definitely one to watch in London 2012. Oozing confidence and gaining poster-boy status, Smith is a total crowd pleaser however, as the tattoo on his back testifies: what he deserves he earns through sheer hard work and determination.

Mark Cavendish

Age: 26
Event: Road and Track Cycling
Home town: Douglas, Isle of Man

Having already proved that cycling holidays in France aren’t all leisurely affairs, Cavendish is gearing up for a yellow finish in both the Tour de France and the summer Olympics. As the ‘Manx Missile’ is fast becoming one of the sport’s greatest ever athletes you can rest assured that his feats will have you looking at your next European cycling holiday as something of a breeze.

Biog: Chris is gearing up for a summer of sport starting with the European football tournament and culminating in the London Olympics 2012.