London 2012: Never has a British team been so prepared

London 2012 gold medal Credit: Reuters

At the Olympic Park hopes of British success are high. But you don't have to think back too far to remember it wasn't always like this.

  • Sixteen years ago in Atlanta, Great Britain finished 36th in the medals table, its worst ever performance, winning just one gold.

  • There was a marked improvement at Sydney, where they finished tenth.

  • They also finished 10th at the Athens Games.

  • Four years ago in Beijing the team exceeded expectations, with 19 golds and 47 medals in total - their biggest haul for 100 years

  • This year they hope to be even better - more golds, a minimum target of 48 medals and maybe third place behind China and the USA

Mark Austin has covered six Olympic Games, and one thing is for sure: never has a British team been so well prepared.