We highlight 10 athletes who are aiming for gold medals at the 2012 Olympic Games.

The gymnast
Louis Smith, 19
In Beijing, Smith became the first individual British gymnast to win an Olympic medal since 1908 when he claimed bronze in the pommel horse. The challenge, says his coach Paul Hall, is to become more consistent in producing top-class routines. Smith will be able to test that reliability when the World Championships are held in London in October at the Olympic venue of the O2 centre. “There will be a lot of pressure because people will be looking at me and drawing conclusions about what I might be able to do in 2012,” Smith says.

The marksman
James Huckle, 18
The teenager from Harlow, Essex, is the rising star of British shooting. As a schoolboy he rewarded himself for finishing his homework by firing at tin cans for hours at his dad's farm.
Last year he won gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Puna, India, at the 10m air rifle, the 50m prone rifle and the 50m 3 positions. He plans to return to India for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi this year, and says a medal in 2012 is “a distinct possibility”.

The fighter
Aaron Cook, 17
Cook missed out on a medal in the under-80kg taekwondo category by being beaten in the bronze medal play-off. “I never tried so hard,” he said of Beijing. It wasn't enough and shows I need to train harder.” Cook's family have moved from Dorchester, Dorset, to be near to him at his new training base in Manchester. “I want to be able to win a gold medal at London 2012,” he says. First he has the World Championships in Copenhagen.

The rower
Louisa Reeve, 24
Reeve and her partner in the pairs, Olivia Whitlam, were surprise qualifiers for the 2008 Olympics — they then reached the final in Beijing, finishing sixth. Louisa, who lives in Henley, also replaced an ill team-mate at short notice in the women's eight, which she helped to fifth place in the final. Next on the horizon is the Easter weekend British trials. Exactly what boat she will be in for 2012 is not yet clear but her talent and potential are.

The sailor
Nick Thompson, 22
Thompson's dream, he says, is to win gold in the Laser class in 2012. His problem, though, is that he will have to find a way past the reigning champion, his training partner Paul Goodison, to even make the team — in sailing, there can be only one athlete per country in each class. This year's European and World Championships, both in August, will offer the Exeter University student his first chance to beat his 31-year-old pal.

The cyclist
Jason Kenny, 20
Kenny already has an Olympic team gold and an individual silver but triple gold medallist Chris Hoy says the Bolton rider is the one to beat in 2012. Kenny got close to the 32-year-old in the first of their two races in the Olympic final after jumping into the lead with one and a half laps to go. That may be his best tactic as he seeks to earn that first big win over Hoy — maybe at this year's World Championships in Poland.

The diver
Tom Daley, 14
Britain's second-youngest Olympian captured headlines in Beijing but no medals. A bust-up with partner Blake Aldridge damaged the Plymouth teenager's hopes in the 10m platform synchro event but Daley came seventh in the 10m individual event. Although he'd like to be a children's TV presenter, the ambition to push on to London 2012 should win out. One concern is he doesn't know how much he will grow in the next three years. If he gets too tall, it could affect his mobility.

The swimmer
Gemma Spofforth, 21
Spofforth, from Shoreham, has a picture of the scoreboard for the 100 metres backstroke final in Beijing on her laptop — a reminder that she missed a medal by one place and 0.04seconds. Her time in the 4x100m medley relay would have been enough to win her silver in the individual final. Spofforth, in her third year at the University of Florida, now seeks a third consecutive US colleges' title.

The triathlete
Kirsty McWilliam, 17
McWilliam showed her potential last year by succeeding fellow Brit Hollie Avil, another London 2012 hope, as world junior champion. McWilliam, who is studying animal biology at Stirling University, must decide whether to defend her title in Australia in September or move up to senior and under-23 events. The Scot, from Campsie Fells, says: “In 10 years I hope to have Olympic and Commonwealth experience — and a few titles to show off.”

The runner
Stephanie Twell, 19
Athletics experts believe Twell, from Farnborough, is more motivated and ambitious than Paula Radcliffe was at the same age. Last month she underlined her potential with a third successive European junior cross-country title, four months after becoming world junior 1500 metres champion. Twell reached the semi-finals of the 1500m in Beijing but is determined to go much further in 2012.