With the Paris Olympics kicking off last weekend, we’re in the thick of a very sporty summer – even London’s restaurants have jumped on the bandwagon with some cool Olympic-themed menus, and the Olympics are being screened across the city in bars, pubs and outdoor cinemas.

Team GB has soared into the Games with more than a couple of medals in the bank already – Matt Richards took the silver in swimming, Tom Daley and Noah Williams secured another stunning silver in men’s synchronised diving and Britain’s equestrian eventing team brought home a shiny gold. With all eyes on Paris for the next couple of weeks and the best British talent taking on the grandest of all sporting stages, we’ve put together a list of British athletes to know:

Laviai and Lina Nielsen

Sport: Athletics

Identical twins Laviai and Lina Nielsen have had an inspiring journey to the Olympics. The 28-year-olds from London, who both have Multiple Sclerosis (MS), will be strong contenders for gold this year with Laviai racing in the 4x400m relay and the 400m, and Lina in the 400m hurdles. The two athletes also share snippets of their careers (plus some great fitness and food tips) on their YouTube vlog if you’re looking for some fitness inspiration.

Watch Laviai in the 4x400m relay on 9th August and Lina in the 400m hurdles on 4th August.

Imani-Lara Lansiquot

Sport: Sprinting

Another athletics champ, Team GB sprinter Imani-Lara Lansiquot is all set to represent the country in the women’s relay, and the 100m race. She won a bronze in the relay at the Tokyo Olympics and we’re rooting for a gold this year.

Officially the third-fastest British woman in history, Imani-Lara also happens to be an author. She penned a play titled Armour of Gaza in Tokyo last year, that explores her identity, career and culture and celebrates her Peckham roots.

You can watch Imani-Lara race in the women’s 100m on Friday, 2nd August.

Helen Glover

Sport: Rowing

The two-time Olympic champion served as Britain’s flagbearer at the Paris opening ceremony along with diver Tom Daley. One of Britain’s most prolific rowers, the mum of three might just be on her way to securing a third gold this year with Team GB cruising into the rowing finals in the women’s four category.

Watch Glover compete in the rowing finals on 1st August.

Caden Cunningham

Sport: Taekwondo

From dreaming of the Olympics at the age of 10, to now being one of the top contenders for gold in his sport, Cunningham is one to watch this year. The 20-year-old won gold at the 2024 European Championships and is now all set for his Olympic debut. The young athlete also happens to juggle a modelling career, with an appearance in last year’s London Fashion Week and some fashion shoots under his belt. But for now, of course, it’s all about the martial arts.

Catch Cunningham on August 10th at the Taekwondo qualifiers for the men’s +80kg.

Molly Caudery

Sport: Pole vault

The current World Indoor Champion, Molly Caudery is a pole vaulter with a history of big wins. A silver medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, she also took home a bronze at the European Athletics Championships this year. Now, the ace pole vaulter is living out her childhood dream by making her Olympics debut and fans are predicting a big win for her after she set a new British women’s pole vaulting record earlier this year.

Watch Caudery compete in the women’s pole vault qualifiers on 5th August.

Jack Draper

Sport: Tennis

British tennis star Jack Draper has already made an impression at his debut Olympic games, with a win against 2016 bronze medallist and former US Open runner-up Kei Nishikori. The current golden boy of British tennis, Draper is one of Britain’s rising tennis stars, and some have dubbed him Andy Murray‘s “heir”.

Whether he is keen to take on this title is yet to be seen, but we’re looking forward to what he does next as he progresses to the next round at the Paris Olympics.

Draper is set to play USA’s Taylor Fritz today, 30th July.

Emily Campbell

Sport: Weightlifting

The only Emily in Paris we care about this month is Britain’s Emily Campbell. The champion weightlifter wrote her name in the history books at Tokyo 2020 when she won a silver in the +87kg category, making it the first-ever medal for Team GB in women’s weightlifting. She is the sole weightlifter representing Britain this year.

Watch Emily compete in women’s +81kg weightlifting on 11th August.

Beckie Downie

Sport: Gymnastics

Beckie Downie made her Olympic debut 16 years ago in Beijing, and now she has returned to the Games for the third time. She’s already won hearts with her stunning performance in this weekend’s qualifying rounds that has helped the team book their spot in the women’s final.

Watch Beckie compete in the artistic gymnastics final today, 30th July.

Tom Pidcock

Sport: Cycling

Pidcock is not one to go down easy – the cyclist won Team GB’s first gold in mountain bike cross country in Tokyo at the last Olympics, after fracturing his collarbone only a few days earlier. This year, he’s managed to defend his title despite suffering a tyre puncture during the race. With his reputation for outrageous overtaking and chaotic off-roading anything that the triple-threat cyclist is part of is sure to be an entertaining watch. His Paris Olympic stint isn’t over yet – you can catch him next in the cycling road race.

Watch Pidcock compete in the road race on 3rd August.

Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix

Sport: Diving

The 19-year-old was the youngest member of Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics where she finished seventh in the women’s 10m dive. She’s had a great year so far, winning her first world title in Doha earlier this year, and now the young diver is set to compete in women’s platform diving and synchronised platform diving at the Paris Olympics.

Andrea will take to the pool on 31st July for synchronised platform diving.

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