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The Britons going for gold

This year Mark Cavendish became the first British man to claim the green jersey © Getty Images

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• Profile: Mark Cavendish | Tom Daley | Jessica Ennis-Hill | Mo Farah | Fran Halsall | Chris Hoy | Phillips Idowu | Andy Murray | Beth Tweddle | Bradley Wiggins

With just under a year to go until the London Olympics kicks off, we pick out the ten individuals we reckon have the best chance of grabbing a gold medal...

Mark Cavendish
Cavendish has a sharp tongue, and the tendency to rub people up the wrong way, but even his fiercest critics cannot deny his standing as cycling's fastest sprinter. The Manx missile has stormed to 20 Tour de France stage wins, and got his hands on the green jersey at this year's iteration of the famous race - in the process becoming the first Brit to claim that prize. The expectation couldn't be any higher but, as a man who doesn't lack for self-belief, you can't see him wilting under pressure. There is one problem: he relies on team-mates to see him through, and the Great Britain unit in 2012 will only be five-strong, far less than he's used to when buffeted by the HTC-Highroad gang.

Tom Daley
After coming through adversity and wading through the rockiest of waters, Daley has proved his resilience, determination and quality - and that's what makes him a great bet for gold. In the past couple of years he's learnt new dives, recovered from a serious tricep injury and, most painfully, had to deal with the loss of his father. "I hope he will be watching and waving his big Union Jack in London from somewhere else," Daley said. He may have fallen short at British level but, in the World Championships and then at the Commonwealths, where he dramatically duelled with Olympic champion Matt Mitcham, he proved he has the appetite for the big occasion by triumphing in both - although at the most recent world event he finished fifth.

Andy Murray
It just seems to fit into the classic British tennis narrative of the nearly-man that Murray, having fallen short at Wimbledon a few weeks beforehand, will return to SW19 and claim the Olympic gold. Sure, it might not be a grand slam, and people will still crow on about the long drought since Fred Perry's win in 1936, but it's still a prestigious tournament played in the Masters format he enjoys - and it was good enough for Rafael Nadal to win in 2008. Murray has the game for grass - two Queen's Club titles and a handful of Wimbledon semis are testament to that - with a meaty first serve, good movement and a ferocious return, so there's little to suggest he can't succeed.

Mo Farah won two golds at the European Championships in 2010 © PA Photos

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Mo Farah
There he was, striding across the finish line, eyes and mouth wide open in an unbridled expression of joy, looking so innocent - and yet performing in such a dominant, ruthless manner. It was that famous double gold-medal performance at the European Championships last year that made the world sit up and take notice of Farah, who had transformed himself from competitor to serious challenger. He is now the world's top-ranked performer at 10,000 metres, having set a new European record in June, and if he had run that time - 26 minutes 46.57 - at the 2008 Olympics then he would already possess a silver medal. He gets two attempts at glory too, having set the fastest time this year in the 5000m. The moment Farah crosses the finish line in London has the potential to become the iconic image of the Games.

Beth Tweddle
She will be 27 by the time of the Olympics, positively ancient in gymnastic terms, but there is no sense of Tweddle fading away, or her level of performance dwindling. Perhaps she is still spurred on by the heartbreak suffered in Beijing, where she finished just outside the medals, in fourth; no matter what her motivation, she will be expected to find herself on the podium, having already claimed three world titles - and a sixth European crown earlier this year.

Bradley Wiggins
The Tour de France brought Wiggins nothing but sorrow this year, with his involvement in the showpiece event ended after just a week due to a broken collarbone, but it remains his priority in 2012. Although yellow may mean more than gold to him, Wiggins should still possess the quality to find himself in one of the medal places, even if the first event of the Games comes just 10 days after the Tour finishes. "I will do everything possible to be the best in the Tour and then it will be straight back into holding camp in London and the Olympics. With the right preparation, it is possible to sustain form for seven weeks," he said.

Jessica Ennis
No prizes for originality with the inclusion of Ennis - she is the one British athlete that the nation is banking on, the "beautiful asset", as Charles Van Commenee would have it. Never mind that she hasn't competed at an Olympics before, having been injured in 2008, she is the world and European champion who has won every multi-events championship entered since May 2009. You sense that, as a naturally reserved character, the status as standard-bearer sits uneasily on her - but boy, she's going to have to get used to it over the next 12 months.

The nation is banking on a gold from Jessica Ennis © Getty Images

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Phillips Idowu
Although Idowu's bitter row with Van Commenee - which has its origins in the use of Twitter, of all things - is overshadowing his preparations for 2012, it may have also lit a fire in this most complex of characters. He will enjoy nothing more than thrusting a gold into Van Commenee's face, and Van Commenee will enjoy nothing more than watching him do so. Idowu has the talent to succeed, that much is undoubted, but the absence of an Olympic medal in an otherwise complete set is a cross he has had to bear - not always easily. "When I win gold in London, I'm going to throw the silver [from Beijing] in the bin," he has snarled. Easier said than done, for Idowu has Teddy Tamgho, who has topped the world rankings in each of the two years but is currently injured, blocking his path to glory.

Sir Chris Hoy
The shadow of his achievements in 2008 - three gold medals - will loom ominously behind Hoy wherever he goes in London. It's an unhelpful legacy for him to carry as, at 35, he is no longer the force he once was - but Hoy can at least rely on the keirin for pretty much a nailed-on success. He has claimed three world titles in the event since 2007, which is sure to atone for any deficiencies he may display in the match and team events. The Scot, whose face has beamed down from posters over the last few years, begging to be respected, may not be able to get close to the Beijing achievements, even if he arrives in London at 100%.

Fran Halsall
Halsall hinted at her enormous potential by making three Olympic finals aged 18 in 2008 then, after a couple of years of steady progress, she made a significant breakthrough in 2010, earning five medals at the European Championships. That was impressive enough - but months later, at the Commonwealths, she battled against a debilitating stomach bug to get her hands on another five medals. That sort of spirit in difficult circumstances is sure to stand her in good stead as she aims to gun down the all-conquering Britta Steffen of Germany.

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