If Rebecca Adlington can match the magical week she experienced in Beijing four years ago, the 23-year-old swimmer’s stock will rise to unbelievable heights. At the previous Olympics, Adlington became an overnight star after winning gold in the 400-m freestyle. A few days later, she set a world record in the heats of the 800-m freestyle before triumphing in the event — with another world record in the final, to boot. Expectations are understandably high, especially as Adlington is appearing in front of her fans, who will be desperately hoping she can replicate her achievements in the pool in China in 2008, when she became the first British swimmer in 100 years to win two Olympic gold medals. And having won gold at the 2011 World Championships (in the 800-m freestyle, for which she is the red-hot favorite in London) to go with a silver in the 400 m, she’ll be tough to knock off the Olympic podium.
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Rebecca Adlington
Swimming, Great Britain
Full List
Athletes to Watch
- Rebecca Adlington
- Tony Azevedo
- Kenenisa Bekele
- Yohan Blake
- Usain Bolt
- Veronica Campbell-Brown
- Mark Cavendish
- Oksana Chusovitina
- Tom Daley
- Phil Dalhausser
- Gabrielle Douglas
- Kevin Durant
- Brady Ellison
- Matthew Emmons
- Jessica Ennis
- Allyson Felix
- Missy Franklin
- Tony Gunawan
- Bahiya Al-Hamad
- Trey Hardee
- Im Dong Hyun
- Larisa Iordache
- Yelena Isinbayeva
- Lolo Jones
- Lin Dan
- Liu Xiang
- Ryan Lochte
- Holley Mangold
- Ous Mellouli
- Carolina Mendoza
- LaShawn Merritt
- Alex Morgan
- Fabiana Murer
- Aliya Mustafina
- Sally Pearson
- Michael Phelps
- Paula Radcliffe
- Kimberly Rhode
- Dayron Robles
- Caster Semenya
- Hope Solo
- Nur Suryani Mohd Taibi
- Katie Taylor
- Allison Schmitt
- Aisuluu Tynybekova
- Kohei Uchimura
- Kerri Walsh
- Rau’shee Warren
- Jordyn Wieber
- Mariel Zagunis