With a delegation made up of 257 athletes, including a number of previous Olympic champions, Team Great Britain is looking to go one better than their memorable campaign at London 2012, when they finished in third place in the overall medal table, with 120 medals (34 golds).
Highlights of the Athletics team are London gold medallists David Weir, Richard Whitehead, Aled Davies and Hannah Cockroft. Other members include Libby Clegg, 200 metre world record holder, and Jonnie Peacock.
Cycling is another sport in which the Brits expect to excel. The big-hitters in the team are Dame Sarah Storey, winner of four golds at London 2012, as well as Neil Fachie, Karen Darke, Jody Cundy, Helen Scott and Jon-Allan Butterworth, all of whom won gold last time around.
In the Equestrian events, Lee Pearson is chasing his tenth gold medal, and Sophie Christiansen will defend the three golds she won four years ago (two in individual events and one as part of a team). Natasha Baker, another medallist, will be joined by Sophie Wells, and completing the team is Anne Dunham, who is 67 years old and a five-time Olympic champion.
Swimming is another of Team GB’s strong points, with a number of London’s gold medallists on their way to Rio to defend their titles: Ellie Simmonds, Ollie Hynd, Josef Craig, Jessica-Jane Applegate, Jon Fox and Bethany Firth among them.
British athletes will be competing for the first time in some modalities, such as the Triathlon and Canoeing, and are hoping to make a big first impression.
Expectations are high, and Team GB is confident that Rio 2016 will be a Paralympics to remember!
