‘GB’S miracle haul can be repeated in Paris’
Great Britain’s Olympians will maintain their “miracle” avalanche of Tokyo medals at Paris 2024, sporting chiefs promised as the curtain came down on the 2020 Games.
With Team GB signing off in fourth place in the medal table, Mark England, the chef de mission, said he was “absolutely confident” over the young squad’s prospects.
Two more golds – via cyclist Jason Kenny and boxer Lauren Price – took Britain level with the London 2012 tally of 65 medals and left sporting chiefs ecstatic, as they had privately been aiming to match the 51 medals from Beijing 2008.
“Team GB feels like the team of trailblazers,” said Dame Katherine Grainger, the chair of UK Sport. “I really think they have set new standards in so many ways, and have truly burned their name into Olympic history in ways we didn’t expect.”
Medals have been won in 24 disciplines. “It has been against all the odds,” said England. “I think it is the greatest achievement in British Olympic history. It has been the miracle of Tokyo.
“This is a very, very young team and a very, very talented team. And it’s a team that I’m absolutely confident will go to Paris in less than three years now and do exceptionally well.”
Tokyo is Team GB’S second-best overseas Olympics. They won 67 medals at the Rio Games – finishing second in the medal table. The 2020 haul is arguably better than 2012 as they had entered more than 500 athletes, but took 375 to Tokyo.
The Games were declared an unmitigated success after a build-up fraught with challenges. Andy Anson, Team GB’S chief executive, revealed there had been a Covid scare during preparation camps.
“We had four false positive tests that came back in,” he said. “Those were heart-in-the-mouth moments. But what was amazing was that we had positives, we then re-tested and re-tested and realised they were false positives.”