GB warned to lower Tokyo medal hopes

A top Team GB official has urged caution over medal expectations for this summer’s Tokyo Olympics.

Team GB deputy chef de mission Mike Hay’s warning comes in the wake of analysis last month by data company Gracenote, which predicted Great Britain could win 25 fewer medals than in Rio 2016.

It appears to contradict the claims of now-departed UK Sport performance director Chelsea Warr, who said in December that she was “quietly confident” of eclipsing the 67 medals that propelled Team GB into second place in the final medals table in Brazil.

Hay told the Press Association: “Clearly [based on Gracenote] we would be taking a step back from where we were in Rio. Was it sustainable to keep going in second when we’re going to south-east Asia, where a number of our medal competitors, like China, South Korea and Japan, will be very strong?

“What we would say is we got a number of fourth-to-eighth places in milestone events last year and we have to believe we can be competitive and hopefully surprise a few people with where we finish up.”

In Rio, Great Britain became the first nation to win more medals four years after hosting a Games. But, despite Warr’s comments, there is a general acceptance that targeting an increased medal haul is unrealistic, and that expectations must be tempered accordingly.

Cycling, rowing and gymnastics, which yielded a total of 24 medals for Team GB in Rio, are expected to experience significant shortfalls.

The introduction of four new sports – in which Britain’s only significant hope is the sport climber Shauna Coxsey, who was confirmed in the team this week – will greatly improve the host nation’s chances of moving up the medals table.

Meanwhile, Hay said Team GB’S preparations for Japan would continue largely unchanged for now, despite the threat of coronavirus.