sport news Here are 12 Olympians representing Great Britain to keep your eyes on in Tokyo

Britain are sending their biggest squad of athletes to an Olympics abroad, with 376 competing across 26 sports in Tokyo. 

Team GB will be hoping that they can improve on an excellent showing in Rio 2016 when 27 golds placed them second in the medals table — and potentially even emulate the 29 they landed at London 2012. 

Here are some of the athletes to look out for once the delayed Games finally begin on Friday...

1 DINA ASHER-SMITH ATHLETICS — AGE 25

Women's 100m final — Sat, July 31, 1.50pm; Women's 200m final — Tues, August 3, 1.50pm; Women's 4 x 100m relay final — Friday August 6, 2.30pm

The chance of British glory in the Olympics' blue-riband sport largely rests with one woman, Dina Asher-Smith. 

She is the standout star in a squad short of gold medal contenders, particularly with world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson only just returning from injury.

This will be Asher-Smith's second Games after she finished fifth in the 200m in Rio and won a bronze medal in the 4x100m relay. 

But expectation this time is on another level as she goes into Tokyo having won the 200m at the 2019 World Championships and secured silver in the 100m.

Asher-Smith, who pulled out of last week's British Grand Prix with a tight hamstring, has looked in fine form this summer, yet so have her rivals. 

Last month, American Gabby Thomas set the second-fastest time in history over 200m at the US trials, while Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce did likewise in the 100m in Kingston.

Asher-Smith's chances, though, have been helped by the suspension handed to US sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson for testing positive for cannabis.

2 SKY BROWN SKATEBOARDING — AGE 13

Women's park final — Wednesday August 4, 4.30am

Brown only turned 13 this month and will become Great Britain's youngest summer Olympian when she competes in the women's park.

She also stands a strong chance of becoming Team GB's youngest medallist as she goes into her event ranked third, the position she finished in at the 2019 World Championships when still only 11.

Born in Japan to a British father and Japanese mother, Brown trains in California, where she suffered a life-threatening accident last year when she fell off a high ramp and fractured her skull.

But she recovered remarkably quickly and the teenager is now ready to showcase her sport on its Olympics debut alongside 14-year-old Bombette Martin, Britain's other selected skateboarder based in New York.

3 JONNY BROWNLEE TRIATHLON — AGE 31

Men's — Sun, July 25, 10.30pm; Mixed relay — Fri, July 30, 11.30pm

THE younger half of the Brownlee double act is going it alone this time in Tokyo after two-time Olympic champion Alistair failed to gain selection.

Having won bronze at London 2012 and silver at Rio 2016 behind his brother, Jonny will want to complete his medal collection in what will be his last Olympic triathlon.

But even though he can finally step out of his sibling's shadow, he faces a fresh challenge from a countryman, 23-year-old Alex Yee.

Rising star Yee won last month's World Series event in Leeds to seal his spot in Japan, with Alistair missing out after being controversially disqualified.

Jonny will also get a second chance of a medal in the mixed relay — a new Olympic event, where he and Yee will team up with two from Georgia Taylor-Brown, Jess Learmonth and Vicky Holland.

4 SHAUNA COXSEY SPORT CLIMBING — AGE 28

Women's combined, lead final — Friday, August 6, 1.10pm

Climbing is another of the new additions to the Olympics and in Shauna Coxsey Team GB have one of the world's best.

Her specialism is bouldering, one of three disciplines, along with speed and lead, which have been controversially combined into one medal event in Tokyo.

Coxsey, though, showed she can handle them all when she won a combined bronze medal at the 2019 World Championship to seal her qualification for Tokyo.

Recently, she has been suffering with a back injury, which she fears will damage her medal hopes. But this is her last competition before she retires to focus on outdoor rock climbing.

5 CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN EQUESTRIAN — AGE 36

Dressage team — Tues, July 27, 9am; individual — Wed, July 28, 9.30am

Only one British woman has won more Olympic medals than the darling of dressage. Charlotte Dujardin has three golds and one silver from the last two Games — a figure only bettered by former rower Dame Katherine Grainger, whose tally of five gongs included just a single gold.