Our magnificent seven: So, where are they now?
SHORTLY after London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics, Sportsmail selected seven young British athletes to follow over seven years. Here is what happened to our picks.
1 GILES SCOTT (SAILING) SCOTT missed out on a place at London to Sir Ben Ainslie, with only one sailor per country allowed in each class. After four-time Olympic champion Ainslie retired, Scott won Finn gold at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and now sails with Ainslie in the America’s Cup.
2 JEAN-RENE BADRICK (JUDO)
BADRICK won a bronze at the European Youth Olympics in 2005 and claimed the British senior title two years later. But he was forced to withdraw from our project in 2010 through injury. He was replaced by fellow judoka Gemma Howell, who was knocked out in the first round at London.
3 LOUIS SMITH (GYMNASTICS) SMITH became the first British gymnast to win an individual Olympic medal in 100 years when he claimed bronze on the pommel horse in 2008. Four years later in London, he upgraded it to silver, as well as winning bronze in the team event, before going on to
collect another silver in Rio — his fourth Olympic medal.
4 SHANAZE READE (BMX) READE won the first of three world titles in 2007 when she was aged 18. She crashed in the BMX final at the Beijing Olympics the following year and then came sixth at London 2012 before retiring five years later.
5 TOM DALEY (DIVING)
NOW one of Team GB’s most famous faces, Daley competed at Beijing 2008 as a 14-year-old and then won a bronze in the 10-metre platform at London 2012. A further bronze followed at Rio 2016 before he clinched an elusive gold medal in the synchro alongside Matty Lee at Tokyo 2020.
6 RACHAEL LATHAM
(PARA SWIMMING)
AFTER reaching two finals at the 2008 Paralympics, Latham retired because of injury in 2010 and instead worked at London 2012 as a Channel 4 presenter. She was replaced on Sportsmail’s scheme by Louise Watkin, who won four medals in the pool at the home Games.
7 EMILY PIDGEON
(ATHLETICS)
A EUROPEAN junior champion dubbed the ‘new Paula Radcliffe’, distance runner Pidgeon struggled to make the step up to senior level. Having failed to qualify for London 2012, she retired at the age of 24 in 2014.