Medal Picks
Who'll reach the winner's podium in all 302 events
ARCHERY
Men
Individual
Im Dong-hyun, South Korea
Brady Ellison, U.S.
Dmytro Hrachov, Ukraine
Two-time champ Im has 20/200 vision.
Team
South Korea
France
Italy
The U.S. could land on the podium.
Women
Individual
Ki Bo-bae, South Korea
Deepika Kumari, India
Fang Yuting, China
Kumari used to practice by targeting mangos.
Team
South Korea
China
India
South Korea has won all six Olympic women's team golds.
BADMINTON
Men
Singles
Lin Dan, China
Lee Chong Wei, Malaysia
Peter Gade, Denmark
Lin is only player to have won a career Super Slam of the sport's nine majors.
Doubles
Cai Yun & Fu Haifeng, China
Jung Jae-sung & Lee Yong-dae, South Korea
Mathias Boe & Carsten Mogensen, Denmark
U.S. duo, Howard Bach and Tony Gunawan, won worlds in 2005.
Women
Singles
Wang Yihan, China
Wang Xin, China
Li Xuerui, China
The Wangs are not related.
Doubles
Wang Xiaoli & Yu Yang, China
Tian Qing & Zhao Yunlei, China
Ha Jung-eun & Kim Min-jung, South Korea
China swept the golds at 2011 worlds.
Men and Women
Mixed Doubles
Zhang Nan & Zhao Yunlei, China
Ma Jin & Xu Chen, China
Tontowi Ahmad & Liliyana Natsir, Indonesia
Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier could win a medal for Britain.
BASKETBALL
Men
U.S.
Spain
Lithuania
The U.S. won its eight games in Beijing by an average of 27.9 points.
Women
U.S.
Australia
Czech Republic
The U.S. won its eight games in Beijing by an average of 37.6 points.
BOXING
49 kg (108 pounds)
Zou Shiming, China
Shin Jong-hun, South Korea
David Ayrapetyan, Russia
Jantony Ortiz Marcano, Puerto Rico
Zou has studied French cuisine.
52 kg (114 pounds)
Misha Aloyan, Russia
Rau'shee Warren, U.S.
Nordine Oubaali, France
Andrew Selby, Great Britain
Warren is the first U.S. boxer to make three Olympic teams.
56 kg (123 pounds)
Lazaro Alvarez Estrada, Cuba
Luke Campbell, Great Britain
John Joe Nevin, Ireland
Mohamed Amine Ouadahi, Algeria
Nevin beat his cousin Michael to win the Irish nationals.
60 kg (132 pounds)
Vasyl Lomachenko, Ukraine
Yasniel Toledo Lopez, Cuba
Robson Conceicao, Brazil
Domenico Valentino, Italy
Lomachenko was voted outstanding boxer of the Beijing Games.
64 kg (141 pounds)
Everton Dos Santos Lopes, Brazil
Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo, Cuba
Denys Berinchyk, Ukraine
Daniyar Yeleussinov, Kazakhstan
Last year Lopes became the first Brazilian to win a world boxing title.
69 kg (152 pounds)
Taras Shelestyuk, Ukraine
Alexis Vastine, France
Myke Ribeiro de Carvalho, Brazil
Serik Sapiyev, Kazakhstan
In Beijing, penalties for pushing cost Vastine a spot in the final.
75 kg (165 pounds)
Evhen Khytrov, Ukraine
Soltan Migitinov, Azerbaijan
Abbos Atoev, Uzbekistan
Ryota Murata, Japan
Khytrov edged Murata, 24--22, to win the 2011 world championship.
81 kg (178 pounds)
Julio César La Cruz, Cuba
Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Ukraine
Egor Mekhontsev, Russia
Adilbek Niyazymbetov, Kazakhstan
World champ Cruz, just 22, is Cuba's captain.
91 kg (201 pounds)
Oleksandr Usyk, Ukraine
Teymur Mammadov, Azerbaijan
Jose Gomez, Cuba
Tervel Pulev, Bulgaria
Usyk went down a class to win Euros in '08, then won 2011 worlds at 91 kg.
91+ kg (more than 201 pounds)
Anthony Joshua, Great Britain
Magomedrasul Majidov, Azerbaijan
Roberto Cammarelle, Italy
Erislandy Savon Cotilla, Cuba
Joshua ran the 100 meters in 11 seconds in high school.
Women
51 kg (112 pounds)
Ren Cancan, China
Nicola Adams, Great Britain
Mary Kom, India
Karolina Michalczuk, Poland
Adams has been an extra in British soaps.
60 kg (132 pounds)
Katie Taylor, Ireland
Sofya Ochigava, Russia
Natasha Jonas, Great Britain
Quanitta Lee (Queen) Underwood, U.S.
Taylor played for the Irish soccer team.
75 kg (165 pounds)
Savannah Marshall, Great Britain
Claressa Shields, U.S.
Nadezda Torlopova, Russia
Elena Vystropova, Azerbaijan
The quiet Marshall is known as the Silent Assassin.
CANOE/KAYAK (FLATWATER)
Men
Canoe singles, 200 meters
Valentin Demyanenko, Azerbaijan
Alfonso Benavides, Spain
Ivan Shtyl, Russia
All sprint events have been shortened from 500 meters to 200.
Canoe singles, 1,000 meters
Sebastian Brendel, Germany
Attila Vajda, Hungary
Mark Oldershaw, Canada
Five Oldershaws from three generations have paddled at the Games.
Canoe doubles, 1,000 meters
Alexandru Dumitrescu & Victo Mihalachi, Romania
Peter Kretschmer & Kurt Kuschela, Germany
Aleksandr Bogdanovich & Andrei Bogdanovich, Belarus
The Brothers Bogdanovich rallied for 2008 gold at 500 meters.
Kayak singles, 200 meters
Ed McKeever, Great Britain
Piotr Siemionowski, Poland
Marko Novakovic, Serbia
McKeever will soon qualify as a chartered accountant.
Kayak singles, 1,000 meters
Max Hoff, Germany
Adam Van Koeverden, Canada
Rene Poulsen, Denmark
Van Koeverden trains at a retreat with no plumbing or electricity.
Kayak doubles, 200 meters
Liam Heath & Jon Schofield, Great Britain
Arnaud Hybois & Sebastien Jouve, France
Alexander Dyachenko & Yury Postrigay, Russia
Ex-bartender Heath can mix 150 cocktails.
Kayak doubles, 1,000 meters
Rudolf Dombi & Roland K√∂kény, Hungary
Peter Gelle & Erik Vicek, Slovakia
Martin Hollstein & Andreas Ihle, Germany
Hollstein and Ihle were a new pair when they won in Beijing.
Kayak fours, 1,000 meters
Denmark
Australia
Germany
The unheralded Danes were surprise European champs last month.
Women
Kayak singles, 200 meters
Natasa Douchev-Janics, Hungary
Lisa Carrington, New Zealand
Marta Walczykiewicz, Poland
When Carrington was seven, her dad told her she'd be an Olympian.
Kayak singles, 500 meters
Kathrin Wagner-Augustin, Germany
Danuta Kozak, Hungary
Rachel Cawthorn, Great Britain
Wagner-Augustin is seeking gold in her fourth straight Games.
Kayak doubles, 500 meters
Katalin Kovàcs & Natasa Douchev-Janics, Hungary
Beata Mikolajczyk & Karolina Naja, Poland
Volha Khudzenka & Maryna Pautaran, Belarus
Douchev-Janics skipped the 2011 season to have a daughter, Milana.
Kayak fours, 500 meters
Germany
Hungary
Belarus
Germany and Hungary have finished one-two at the last four Olympics.
CANOE/KAYAK (WHITEWATER)
Men
Canoe singles, slalom
Tony Estanguet, France
Michal Martikàn, Slovakia
David Florence, Great Britain
Estanguet and his brother designed a whitewater course in the Pyrenees.
Canoe doubles, slalom
Pavol Hochschorner & Peter Hochschorner, Slovakia
Gauthier Klauss & Matthieu Péché, France
David Florence & Richard Hounslow, Great Britain
The Hochschorner twins are three-time world champs.
Kayak singles, slalom
Peter Kauzer, Slovenia
Etienne Daille, France
Daniele Molmenti, Italy
Kauzer prefers extreme river kayaking.
Women
Kayak singles, slalom
Corinna Kuhnle, Austria
Jana Dukàtovà, Slovakia
Maialen Chourraut, Spain
Kuhnle won world titles in 2010 and '11.
CYCLING
Men
Individual time trial
Fabian Cancellara, Switzerland
Bradley Wiggins, Great Britain
Tony Martin, Germany
World federation nixed YouTube--fed claim that Cancellara had a battery-boosted bike.
Road race
Mark Cavendish, Great Britain
Tom Boonen, Belgium
Phillippe Gilbert, Belgium
Cavendish hails from the Isle of Man.
Keirin
Chris Hoy, Great Britain
Teun Mulder, Netherlands
Maximillian Levy, Germany
In Beijing, Hoy became the first Brit since 1908 to win three golds.
Omnium
Glenn O'Shea, Australia
Shane Archbold, New Zealand
Zach Bell, Canada
Michael Freiberg, last year's world champ, didn't make the Australian team.
Sprint
Grégory Baugé, France
Chris Hoy, Great Britain
Jason Kenny, Great Britain
Baugé was stripped of his 2011 world title because he missed a doping test.
Team sprint
Australia
France
Great Britain
Australia missed a bronze by .008 of a second in '08.
Team pursuit
Great Britain
Australia
New Zealand
The Brits crushed runner-up Denmark by nearly seven seconds in Beijing.
Mountain bike
Jaroslav Kulhavy, Czech Republic
Nino Schurter, Switzerland
Julien Absalon, France
In a 2011 accident, a pickup truck knocked out several of Kulhavy's teeth.
BMX
Sam Willoughby, Australia
Joris Daudet, France
Maris Strombergs, Latvia
Willoughby slept on floors and couches in California while learning the sport.
Women
Individual time trial
Judith Arndt, Germany
Emma Pooley, Great Britain
Linda Villumsen, New Zealand
Defending champ Kristen Armstrong of the U.S. will contend.
Road race
Giorgia Bronzini, Italy
Marianne Vos, Netherlands
Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, Germany
Bronzini is known for facial piercings, spiked hair and a killer sprint.
Keirin
Anna Meares, Australia
Victoria Pendleton, Great Britain
Ekaterina Gnidenko, Russia
Meares fractured vertebrae in an '08 crash.
Omnium
Tara Whitten, Canada
Laura Trott, Great Britain
Sarah Hammer, U.S.
Hammer holds the world record in the pursuit.
Sprint
Victoria Pendleton, Great Britain
Anna Meares, Australia
Simona Krupeckaite, Lithuania
Pendleton has nine world titles and 16 world or Olympic medals.
Team sprint
Australia
Germany
China
Australia led all nations with 15 total medals at worlds in Melbourne in April.
Team pursuit
Great Britain
Australia
Canada
Women's team pursuit and team sprint events are new in 2012.
Mountain bike
Catharine Pendrel, Canada
Maja Wloszczowska, Poland
Julie Bresset, France
As a teen, Pendrel was an equestrienne.
BMX
Sarah Walker, New Zealand
Magalie Pottier, France
Mariana Pajón, Colombia
Walker started BMX after her brother bet her $5 she couldn't do a jump.
DIVING
Men
3-meter springboard
He Chong, China
Qin Kai, China
Ilya Zakharov, Russia
He is a fan of British soccer; Qin prefers the Los Angeles Lakers.
3-meter synchronized springboard
Luo Yutong & Qin Kai, China
Illya Kvasha & Oleksiy Prygorov, Ukraine
Evgeny Kuznetsov & Ilya Zakharov, Russia
Four-time Olympian Troy Dumais could challenge with partner Kristian Ipsen.
10-meter platform
Qiu Bo, China
Tom Daley, Great Britain
Lin Yue, China
Daley's coach taunted Qiu on Twitter this year.
10-meter synchronized platform
Lin Yue & Qiu Bo, China
Tom Daley & Peter Waterfield, Great Britain
Patrick Hausding & Sascha Klein, Germany
Hausding and Klein won silver in 2008.
Women
3-meter springboard
He Zi, China
Wu Minxia, China
Tania Cagnotto, Italy
Cagnotto suffered multiple fractures when a car hit her scooter in 2011.
3-meter synchronized springboard
He Zi & Wu Minxia, China
Tania Cagnotto & Francesca Dallape, Italy
Kelci Bryant & Abby Johnston, U.S.
China swept all 10 diving golds at the 2011 worlds.
10-meter platform
Chen Ruolin, China
Paola Espinosa, Mexico
Hu Yadan, China
1988 Cy Young winner Frank Viola's daughter Brittany will dive for the U.S.
10-meter synchronized platform
Chen Ruolin & Wang Hao, China
Paola Espinosa & Alejandra Orozco, Mexico
Meaghan Benfeito & Roseline Filion, Canada
Espinosa was Mexico's flag bearer in 2008.
EQUESTRIAN
Individual dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen, Netherlands
Isabell Werth, Germany
Laura Bechtolsheimer, Great Britain
LDutch rider Anky van Grunsven is in her seventh Games.
Team dressage
Germany
Netherlands
Denmark
German star Werth has her own equestrian video game.
Individual three-day event
William Fox-Pitt, Great Britain
Andrew Nicholson, New Zealand
Michael Jung, Germany
Fox-Pitt's middle name is Speed Lane.
Team three-day event
Great Britain
Germany
Australia
Britain's team includes Zara Phillips, the Queen's granddaughter.
Individual show jumping
Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, Sweden
Kevin Staut, France
Eric Lamaze, Canada
Lamaze missed '96 Games because of a later-overturned cocaine suspension.
Team show jumping
Germany
France
Belgium
The U.S. could leap onto the medal stand.
FENCING
Men
Individual épée
Bas Verwijlen, Netherlands
Fabian Kauter, Switzerland
Paulo Pizzo, Italy
Princeton grad Soren Thompson could reach the podium for the U.S.
Individual foil
Andrea Cassara, Italy
Valerio Aspromonte, Italy
Peter Joppich, Germany
Brooklynite Race Imboden, a lanky lefty like Cassara, could medal.
Team foil
Italy
China
France
Italians hold the top three spots in the world individual rankings.
Individual sabre
Alexey Yakimenko, Russia
Rares Dumitrescu, Romania
Nicholas Limbach, Germany
Limbach's sister, Anna, was a world junior champion.
Team sabre
Russia
Germany
Romania
The U.S. took a surprise silver in Beijing.
Women
Individual épée
Li Na, China
Anca Maroiu, Romania
Luo Xiaojuan, China
The 5'10" Li was first a basketball player.
Team épée
China
Romania
Russia
This event returns after being out of the 2008 Games.
Individual foil
Valentina Vezzali, Italy
Nam Hyun-hee, South Korea
Lee Kiefer, U.S.
Kiefer won world bronze last year at age 17.
Team foil
Italy
Russia
South Korea
Italian leader Vezzali has 13 world and five Olympic titles.
Individual sabre
Mariel Zagunis, U.S.
Olga Kharlan, Ukraine
Sofiya Velikaya, Russia
Zagunis, the daughter of 1976 Olympic rowers, is a two-time champ.
FIELD HOCKEY
Men
Australia
Germany
Netherlands
Aussie complaints about early start times forced schedule changes in London.
Women
Argentina
Netherlands
Great Britain
A rising U.S. team beat Argentina at '11 Pan-Am Games.
ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS
Men
Team
Japan
China
U.S.
China ran away with the 2008 title, winning by more than seven points.
Individual all-around
Kohei Uchimura, Japan
John Orozco, U.S.
Daniel Purvis, Great Britain
Orozco had three background roles in Law & Order.
Floor exercise
Diego Hypólito, Brazil
Zou Kai, China
Kohei Uchimura, Japan
Hypólito's sister, Daniele, won Brazil's first world medal in 2001.
Pommel horse
Louis Smith, Great Britain
Krisztiàn Berki, Hungary
Teng Haibin, China
Smith tried out for the British X Factor.
Rings
Chen Yibing, China
Aleksandr Balandin, Russia
Koji Yamamuro, Japan
Chen won in '08 with near flawless routine.