Idowu leads British Olympic medal hopes in track and field

Idowu leads British Olympic medal hopes in track and field

These are the Britons who will either be front page news or damned as underachievers within a few weeks. The knee-jerk reactions to Olympic results mean there is no middle ground, but these athletes all have the potential plus ability to grab medals and thumb their nose at the old pros going on about their day, Lottery funding, the war etc.

1) PHILLIPS IDOWU

Born: London

Age: 28
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Recently heard bemoaning the growing attention he is getting, which is somewhat at odds with his fire red hair and multiple facial piercings, Idwou is the No 1 gold medal hope. His leap of 17.58m at the Olympic trials means he leads the world in his event. Now climbing out of Jonathan Edwards' shadow, he has forecast a world record and a gold medal. Time to forget those no-jumps that saw him exit the last Olympics with a face to match the hair.

2) CHRISTINE OHURUOGU

Born: London

Age: 24

She is the world champion at 400m, but that came in the absence of Sanya Richards, the American who failed to qualify for the event after suffering with illness on the day of the US trials. Ohuruogu will never be able to run away from those three missed drugs tests, but she showed her inner will by winning gold on the back of being cast out of the funding system and forced to take a part-time job at Newham Council. She has been working on the first half of her race and has run the 400m sparingly this season. It remains to be seen whether that is good sense.

3) NICOLA SANDERS

Born: High Wycombe

Age: 26

While Ohuruogu took centre stage and celebrated her triumph at the World Championships, Sanders spent half the night locked in a toilet trying to deliver a sample. She was actually applauded when she left. A Ricky Gervais-loving waif, she punches above her weight, but has struggled with injuries this season and has done little to worry the global elite. Quite capable of upsetting the applecart if fit and she gets it right.

4) KELLY SOTHERTON

Born: Newport, Isle of Wight

Age: 31

This is Sotherton's golden opportunity. Carolina Kluft has decided to seek new challenges in the sand pit and Jessica Ennis, Sotherton's compatriot, has a broken ankle. However, there are still problems ahead in the form of America's Hyleas Fountain, Russia's Tatyana Chernova and Lyudmila Blonska, a former drug cheat from the Ukraine. Sotherton says she no longer throws the javelin like a girl, which is good news, but she has not done a heptathlon since winning bronze at the World Championships and will probably need a personal best to get another.

5) RELAYS

Once again the relay may come to Britain's rescue. The men's 4x100m team are the defending champions but only Marlon Devonish survives from Athens. That makes them far less certain about a medal than previously and, as Devonish admits, Britain's surprise success in 2004, based on technique as much as flat speed, has shaken up the event and acted as a wake-up call to others. The women's 4x400m must have a chance with Ohuruogu and Sanders, while the 4x100m, with Montell Douglas having just broken the 100m British record, are a long shot.

Others to watch: Mo Farah and Jo Pavey will give it their all over the long distances, Tokyo-based Mara Yaumuchi may spring a surprise in the marathon and Steph Twell's progress in the 1500m will be worth monitoring with an eye on 2012. The likes of Goldie Sayers in the javelin, Andy Baddeley in the 1500m and Paula Radcliffe in the treatment room remain optimistic too.