Keely Hodgkinson and Jessica Gadirova tipped for gold at Paris 2024 Olympics as Team GB medal rush looms

Published 26/07/2023 at 05:09 GMT

With one year to go until the Olympic Games return in Paris, Nielsen's Gracenote have forecast the entire event to give a flavour of how athletes and nations will fare next summer. Team GB are forecast to break the 60-medal barrier for a fourth Games in a row, dating back to London 2012, while the United States are again expected to star. So who has been backed to win gold for Britain?

Jessica Gadirova and Keely Hodgkinson

Image credit: Eurosport

British stars Keely Hodgkinson, Jessica Gadirova and Sky Brown are among those tipped to win gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with statisticians Gracenote backing Team GB to deliver another medal rush next summer.

Since claiming a shock silver over 800m at the rearranged Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Hodgkinson has established herself as Britain's leading middle distance star and heads to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest next month as favourite.

Gadirova won the floor title at the World Artistic Gymnastic Championships in Liverpool last year and is projected to triumph in that event again in the French capital, while also claiming silver alongside twin sister Jennifer in the team event.

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Skateboarder Brown, Britain's youngest Olympic medallist of all time, also became world champion in February, aged 14, and is backed to conquer the globe again next year.

Gracenote's Virtual Medal Table (VMT), released to mark one year until the Games open in Paris next summer, predicts Team GB will win 62 medals in Paris: 15 gold, 23 silver and 24 bronze. They won 64 in Tokyo.

Beth Shriever is forecast to defend her BMX racing title, likewise Joe Choong in the modern pentathlon, while Britain are also expected to bounce back in rowing with the oarsmen and oarswomen tipped to win eight medals – including five gold – to banish memories of a winless Tokyo.

The United States are expected to top the overall table again with 128 medals, ahead of China (68) and France (63). Although Team GB's predicted haul of 62 medals places them fourth in the VMT, their inferior forecast of gold medals compared to Italy (20 golds) would see them bumped down to fifth in the official standings.

Who misses out for Team GB?

Adam Peaty with his Olympic medals

Image credit: Getty Images

Adam Peaty's vice-like grip on the 100m breaststroke is finally waning, with the two-time champion 'only' tipped for silver in Paris, while Charlotte Worthington is forecast to win BMX park bronze despite her historic gold in Tokyo.

There is no place at all for Tom Pidcock, who will build his 2024 season around defending his mountain bike title, and three-time gymnastics champion Max Whitlock. Laura Kenny, who gave birth to her second child last week, is also overlooked.

There is also one big caveat to the VMT: Russia and Belarus.

"With competitors from Russia and Belarus being banned from international competition in most Olympic sports since February 2022, it is not possible to assess potential performance accurately for Belarus or an eventual NOC allowing Russian competitors to take part at Paris 2024," read the press release from Gracenote.

"For this reason, Russian and Belarussian competitors have been dropped from the Virtual Medal Table for now."