Paris 2024: Who are Team GB’s medal hopes at the Olympics?

The Paris 2024 Olympics is coming around fast, with less than 3 months to go. It’s the ultimate celebration of sport, with everything from football and tennis to archery and rowing – and there’s even a new event to look forward to in 2024.

The Olympics get underway on Friday 26th July and will last for just over two weeks, coming to an end on Sunday 11th August. It’s the third time that the games have been held in Paris and next summer marks the 100-year anniversary of the last time the French capital hosted.

Despite Paris being the host city, some events will be held across the country, much like London in 2012. The games will be spread across 16 different cities, with sports like football, handball and sailing held elsewhere.

And if you’ve booked your flights to France early in the hope of seeing the surfing, we’ve got some bad news for you. While France boasts many stunning beaches, in order to get the best conditions, all surfing events are taking place in Teahupo’o on the island of Tahiti, almost 16,000km from Paris.

Surfing was one of four sports that debuted at Tokyo 2021, alongside skateboarding, karate and climbing. Next year’s games will also see the introduction of competitive breakdancing as an event.

What do Team GB’s prospects look like?

Great Britain have gone from strength to strength since the turn of the century and their 65-medal haul at London 2012 was the first time they’d ever won more than 60 at an Olympics.

Since then, they’ve bagged 67 in Rio and another 64 in Tokyo, so there’s hope that they can continue in a similar vein at Paris 2024. However, there may be a slight drop off. A forecast earlier this year predicted that we’ll bring home 62 medals, which would still be another magnificent return – but they’ll be confident of claiming more than that.

Athletics

On the track, Keely Hodgkinson will be determined to go one better than the silver she secured two years ago. The 800-metre runner also bagged silver at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest and there’s every chance she’ll be among our gold stars.

Similarly, Laura Muir is also looking to improve on her silver medal from Tokyo. The Scot was disappointed to finish sixth in the 1500m at the worlds following a difficult season but with a year of consistency under her belt, she could bounce back next summer.

Sprinters Zharnel Hughes and Dina Asher-Smith will fancy their chances at finishing on the podium. Hughes has never won an Olympic medal while Asher-Smith has twice claimed bronze in the 4 x 100m relay.

Swimming

Team GB has assembled a dynamic squad of 33 athletes set to compete in Paris this summer. With a mix of seasoned Olympic champions and fresh faces making their debuts, the team boasts considerable depth, enhancing their prospects for success.

Among the roster is three-time Olympic gold medalist Adam Peaty, renowned for his world record time of 56.88 seconds in the men’s 100m breaststroke. After taking a hiatus from the sport in 2023 to prioritise his mental health, Peaty returns with a renewed mindset, embracing a healthier approach that he believes will bolster his performance at the upcoming Olympics.

The squad will also include 2024 World Championship gold medallist, Freya Colbert, Olympic marathon team debutants Leah Crisp and Toby Robinson, and British 100m backstroke record breaker Oliver Morgan.

Gymnastics

The women’s artistic gymnastics team clinched the silver medal at the 2024 European Gymnastic Championships held in Italy, securing an overall score of 162.162. Italy, the champions, achieving 164.162. Despite a strong showing on the vault, the British team took an early lead but gradually slipped behind as the competition unfolded.

Similarly, the men’s team claimed second place in the men’s senior European team final, narrowly missing out on the top spot by just 0.5 marks to Ukraine.

With women’s artistic gymnastics head coach David Kenwright stepping down just three months before things are set to kick off in Paris, it will be interesting to see how the team adapt to this change.

Prospects are high for the teams and they will both be determined to succeed amongst the competition.

Diving

Tom Daley is gearing up for his fifth appearance at the Olympic Games this summer, marking a historic milestone as the first British diver to achieve such a feat. Daley will be looking to defend his gold medal in the men’s 10m synchronised platform event.

Competing alongside teammate, Noah Williams, Daley has had a stellar year, securing silver at the world championships and gold at the World Cup. This impressive performance places them in an exciting position as they approach the upcoming competition.

8 English divers have been selected for synchro events. The three other pairs to compete will include Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen (women’s 3m synchronised), Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson (women’s 10m synchronised) and Anthony Harding and Jack Laugher (men’s 3m synchronised).

With a mixture of youth and experience within the squad, coupled with a track record of podium finishes in recent competitions, there are high hopes for team GB.

Track Cycling

Track cycling is one of Team GB’s biggest strengths; a sport they are expected to excel in, having accumulated 79 medals in the sport, they continue to take the podium at the world’s biggest competitions.

In a bid to uphold their legacy, British cycling has collaborated with Team GB to craft cutting-edge bikes for the upcoming season. The new model builds on the one used at Tokyo in 2020 and will be a key part in maintaining the team’s success.

Great Britain won medals at every night of the European Track Cycling Championships in the Netherlands in January. An incredible 14 were secured across a total of 22 races. They continued their success at the Nations Cup Series. With rising stars like two-time world champion and four-time European winner in the omnium, Katie Archibald, and breakthrough Individual Sprint World Champion Emma Finucane, the future is certainly looking bright.

The team will look to dominate this summer and are in a good position to come back with silverware.

Elsewhere, skateboarding world champion and Team GB’s youngest ever Olympic medalist Sky Brown is expected to do well again.

Tokyo 2020 stars Charlotte Worthington, who won gold in freestyle BMX, and Alex Yee, who bagged gold in the mixed relay and silver in the triathlon, will also be looking to build on their Olympic legacies at Paris 2024.

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