Sporting Life - Summer Olympics - Beijing 2008

Britain exceeded all expectations to win 47 medals at the Beijing Olympics - but now the challenge is to beat that figure in four years' time. We look at a dozen young athletes who could trigger a fresh gold rush.

Shanaze Reade (Cycling)

Young, articulate and fiercely competitive - Reade should be the face of the London Olympics. Already a BMX star she is likely to also be a track racer by 2012 and headed for multiple golds.

Rebecca Adlington (Swimming)

Adlington has already won two gold medals and set a world record in the 800 metre freestyle but could go on to dominate her events for the next four.

Khalid Yafai (Boxing)

The former world junior flyweight champion vowed to fight on as an amateur until 2012 after losing to top class Cuban Andry Laffita.

Tom Daley (Diving)

'Diver Boy' has targeted gold at London 2012 since breaking into the senior ranks. He was British Under-18 champion at the age of just 12.

Paul Drinkhall (Table-tennis)

Drinkhall is Britain's number one but his aim is to be the Roger Federer of table-tennis and top the world rankings by 2012.

Luol Deng (Basketball)

Born in Sudan but raised in London, Deng is an NBA star with the Chicago Bulls and would be Great Britain's equivalent to China's Yao Ming.

Greg Rutherford (Athletics)

Rutherford will be determined to win long jump gold in London after leaving Beijing furious at having blown a medal chance in a relatively weak field.

Stephanie Twell (Athletics)

Twell is the world junior cross country champion and is rated as Britain's best distance runner since Paula Radcliffe.

Jason Kenny (Cycling)

Kenny was tipped for 2012 when he won the world junior equivalent to Chris Hoy's medal hat-trick in 2006. He is ahead of schedule having won gold and silver and Beijing.

Anna Blyth (Cycling)

Blyth is junior world and European champion. Cycling boss Dave Brailsford would have brought her to Beijing had he been able to pick a second sprinter after Victoria Pendleton.

Louis Smith (Gymnastics)

Smith won Britain's first gymnastics medal since 1908 when he claimed bronze on the pommel horse. He is also Commonwealth champion and world bronze medallist.

Aaron Cooke (Taekwondo)

Cooke became the first Briton to win a world junior champion. Missed out on potential medal in Beijing after two dubious judging decisions.