Helen Jenkins

Triathlete Helen Jenkins, 27, is amongst the favourites for gold at the London Olympic Games. A two-time world champion, Jenkins has experience of winning world series events in London and is a veteran of the Beijing Olympics - placing 21st. Achilles and ankle injuries in her first two years of elite international competition limited her impact on the world stage, but World Championship gold in Vancouver in 2008 announced her arrival as one of the big players in the sport, and she successfully regained her title in Beijing in 2011. Gold in the world series event in London in August 2011 was a first win in the English capital, confirming her spot at the Olympics and going some way towards making up for the disappointed of finishing third in the 2010 Hyde Park triathlete when she started as favourite. Paula Findlay of Canada is likely to be the favourite for gold in London, after winning her debut world series event in Hyde Park in 2010 and adding numerous world titles since then, but Jenkins and Switzerland’s Nicola Spirig are expected to strongly challenge.