MEET SunSport’s Samurai Seven — our top tips to win gold in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Today marks just ONE YEAR until the start of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
And to celebrate this special occasion, SunSport introduces seven of the stars who are hoping to be big in Japan for Great Britain next summer.
Over the next 12 months, we willbe sharing all their highs and lows, cheers and tears as they try to stand on the podium at the very highest level for the first time in their sporting careers.
In conjunction with the National Lottery, we will take you to the track, on to the water, in to the gym and then veering out on to the BMX course.
We will be chronicling the exploits of our Magnificent Seven, telling their unique stories as they attempt to become household names, just like triathlete Alistair Brownlee at London 2012 and gymnast Max Whitlock at Rio 2016.
Our five Olympic hopefuls are canoe slalom star Mallory Franklin, 100 metre sprint sensation Reece Prescod, gymnast Courtney Tulloch, BMX cyclist Kye Whyte and taekwondo hopeful Lauren Williams.
Two of our seven stars — wheelchair basketball player Amy Conroy and para-swimmer Maisie Summers-Newton — are aiming to represent GB at the Tokyo Paralympics, which opens on August 25, 2020.
Our Magnificent Seven are all aged between 16 and 26, and have all performed on the international stage, with Conroy about to head into her third Paralympics, having competed in London and in Brazil.
They are all heavily tipped to bring home a medal from the Far East in next summer’s extravaganza.
Team GB finished second in the 2016 Rio Olympics medals standings with 27 gold medals — behind the United States but above powerhouses China, Russia and Germany.
It was, by far, their best team performance at a foreign summer Games in history.
At the 2016 Paralympics in Brazil, Britain were second with 64 golds and 147 medals in total. China were the lead nation (107 golds and 239 medals).
National Lottery funding has supported more than 6,000 athletes since 1997, allowing them to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support. Each time you play The National Lottery, you are transforming British sport. British athletes have won more than 860 inspirational Olympic and Paralympic medals since National Lottery funding began.
Source: Athletics - thesun.co.uk
