Oldroyd again, the pentathlon commentator for BBC TV, reckoned: “Since 2000 this has been a massive success story for GB’s women, winning four of nine medals on offer.”
She backed Mhairi Spence for silver and Nick Woodbridge for bronze, but Infostrada predicts a mere lone bronze for Spence.
ROWING: seven medals (two gold, three silver, two bronze – UK Sport: 6 medals)
James Cracknell surprised Infostrada with his restrained approach to British hopes in rowing, concluding “I would put my money on Kath Grainger.”
Gleave conceded Cracknell’s selections were “very realistic – perhaps too much so”, adding: “Our table has 10 rowing medals.”
SAILING: seven medals (two gold, three silver, two bronze – UK Sport: 3-5 medals)
BBC reporter Rob Walker matched Cracknell’s rowing figure with his sailing prediction, noting that Ben Ainslie would win gold as he took “the opportunity to become the greatest-ever Olympic sailor”.
SHOOTING: one medal (one silver – UK Sport: 0-1 medals)
The BBC’s Rob Nothman, preparing to cover shooting at the Games, selected GB’s Peter Wilson as a silver medallist ahead of team-mate and Sydney Olympic champion Richard Faulds in men’s double trap.
SWIMMING: 10 medals (four gold, two silver, four bronze – UK Sport: 5-7 medals)
Karen Pickering, 5 live’s swimming analyst, awarded gold to Keri-Anne Payne in open-water swimming, Ellen Gandy in the women’s 200m butterfly, Rebecca Adlington defending her 800m freestyle title and an Olympic gold for Fran Halsall.
Pickering also plumped for two bronze medals in diving, from both synchro pairs, and silver for Hannah Miley.
But there were no medals for male swimmers. “Our one man with a chance is James Goddard, but he’s picked the worst event possible with the strength of the 200m medley field,” she concluded.
“We see it slightly differently,” said Infostrada’s Gleave, delicately. “Our model has seven medals with the same sorts of names, but scaled down. Even seven would be Britain’s greatest performance in these sports since 1912.”
TABLE TENNIS: no medals (UK Sport: no medals)
Table tennis received a straight no-medal score from the BBC’s Gordon Farquhar.
TAEKWONDO: three medals (one gold, one silver, one bronze – UK Sport: 1-3 medals)
Jonathan Overend, covering taekwondo and tennis at the Games, predicted that Lutalo Muhammad – having won his selection battle against Aaron Cook – could become “the story of the Games and go all the way” to gold.
Even Infostrada were inclined to agree that Muhammad may use his selection dispute as “positive fuel” and stood a chance of winning the Olympic title.
