Olympic Medal Mettle

In the build up to the 2012 Olympics in London all eyes are on the British athletes who are expected to excel in front of the excited home crowd. But who has the best chance of grabbing the top honours? Here are ten British sports superstars who will have their sights firmly set on gold in 2012.

Mo Farah — 5000m & 10000m

A slightly shaky build up to the Games shouldn't detract from the fact that Mo Farah is one of the best runners to have ever come out of Britain, which he proved to any doubters with a gold and silver at the 2011 World Championships. If he manages to pull off the performance of a lifetime and bag gold in both the 5000m and 10000m at the Olympics he will become the first Brit to ever secure this prestigious double.

Victoria Pendleton — Track cycling

The 'emotional rollercoaster' of achieving sprint gold at the World Track Championships has set British sprint cyclist Victoria Pendleton up perfectly for the Olympics. After falling badly at the start of the semi-finals, the Brit dug deep and fought back, going on to easily win the gold in the final. Depending on how her team performs in other events, Victoria could achieve the highlight of her already illustrious cycling career by securing three gold medals in front of an excited home crowd.

Dai Greene — 400m hurdles

Already a Commonwealth, European, and World champion, Welsh hurdler Dai Greene is now looking to add Olympic gold to his considerable list of achievements at the 2012 Games. His journey so far has been a tough one, having to fight against injuries, funding problems, and epilepsy, but he now enters the Olympics at the peak of his talent backed by a whole nation watching with baited breath.

Nicola Adams - Boxing

Things have worked out nicely for Brit boxer Nicola Adams, who is coming into great form just in time for the first ever women's boxing event at an Olympic Games. She currently sits at number three in the world rankings, and after a career that has been characterised by under-dog victories Nicola will fancy her chances against anyone she comes up against in the ring.

Mark Cavendish — Road cycling

Voted Britain's sports personality of the year in 2011, Mark Cavendish is set to become even more of a national hero if he can secure a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics. Mark's dominance in 2011's Tour de France and his fiercely competitive nature will mean he goes into 2012's road race as a firm favourite to take gold. As it's the opening event of the Games, this would be Britain's first of what they hope to be many medals.

Jessica Ennis - Heptathlon

If she can handle the enormous pressure of being event favourite to win Olympic gold in her first Games, Jessica Ennis will cement her status as one of the most popular athletes in Britain. Expectation is high for Jessica, who has become the poster-girl for Britain's Olympic efforts, but her extremely consistent career up to date suggests she has a great chance of securing heptathlon gold in 2012.

Andy Murray - Tennis

Andy Murray was the first to admit that his first round loss to world number 77 Lu Yen-Hsun at the 2008 Games simply wasn't good enough. The fiery Scotsman is now back, playing better than ever and determined to impress in front of the home crowd. He is aiming to compete in the men's singles, the doubles and mixed doubles, and a triple gold medal in these events would be an unprecedented achievement.

Heather Fell — Modern pentathlon

After her admirable silver medal performance in Beijing in 2008, Heather Fell will be hoping to go one step further in this year's Olympics. It won't be easy though — the modern pentathlon is one of the most hotly contested events in the world, and a slight mistake in any of the five disciplines could mean the difference between Olympic glory and disaster for Heather.

David Weir — Wheelchair racing

Wheelchair racing champion David Weir will approach the 2012 Paralympics as a firm favourite to pick up multiple medals, and why not? He holds every British track and long distance record, and has won the London Marathon an impressive six times; making him one of the most dominant athletes in what is an extremely competitive sport.

Gemma Spofforth — 100m backstroke

Despite the relative lack of attention she receives from the public, Gemma Spofforth is one of the few British athletes that hold a world record, which she set at the World Championships in 2009. She'll be looking to match this record-breaking form in 2012 when she battles for 100m backstroke gold against an extremely strong field.