Team GB is smashing it in Rio – in a year when the country has never needed cheering up more. On Monday, the British Olympic squad was second in the medal table, and we have seen Mo Farah overcome a tumble to win the 10,000m, Andy Murray weep after beating Juan Martin del Potro, Max Whitlock win Britain’s first gymnastics gold medal (followed by another two hours later), and Jason Kenny become the next Bradley Wiggins. And that was just Sensational Sunday.
But a few Team GB winners have enjoyed less coverage. Here are five superstars to make you feel amazing, possibly even proud of your country, despite the fact you probably had not heard of them a fortnight ago.
Siobhan-Marie O’Connor
On day four, the 20-year-old swimmer from Somerset won a silver medal in the 200m individual medley. It was an incredible swim, with O’Connor finishing in 2 mins 6.88 secs, just 0.3 seconds behind three-time Olympic champion and “Iron Lady” Katinka Hosszú. It was all the more extraordinary when you consider that O’Connor suffers from ulcerative colitis, which she developed during London 2012. Then, she was the youngest member of Team GB, balancing training with GCSE revision. She has to take 10 anti-diarrhoea tablets a day when training.
Katie Archibald
Three years ago, Archibald, a 22-year-old cyclist from Milngavie near Glasgow, was living at home and working for her family’s bed company. Today, having won a gold medal with her team pursuit squad, she is a Team GB star. In school, her main sport was swimming; she only took up grass-track cycling in 2011 at the Highland games, and raced in a velodrome for the first time in 2012. Routinely described as a maverick and a one-off, with her purple hair and penchant for raw speed, Archibald is no product of the British Cycling Academy.
Owain Doull
Alongside teammates Steven Burke, Ed Clancy and Bradley Wiggins, Doull – the baby of the quartet at 23 – set a new world record in Friday’s men’s team pursuit final, completing 4km in 3 mins 50.365 secs. Cardiff-born Doull, whose gran promptly tweeted: “My grandson has an Olympic gold medal!” became Wales’ first Rio gold medallist and has been described by Wiggins as the next big thing on the road. In a post-race interview, he said Doull “reminds me of a young G [Geraint Thomas] – can do anything in the sport and nothing fazes him”. Following the Olympics, Doull will join Team Sky on a two-year deal.
Chris Mears and Jack Laugher
As well as sounding like a 70s BBC double act, Mears and Laugher are the lesser known Tom Daley and Daniel Goodfellow (who, keep up, is the lesser known Tom Daley). The pair won the men’s synchronised 3m springboard final on Wednesday – it was the first time Britain won gold in the category – with one of the most difficult dives in the history of the competition. Mears, in particular, has an amazing story: he was given a 5% chance of surviving a ruptured spleen at the age of 16. He also works as a music producer, having released a single in South America last year; Olly Murs has professed an interest in working with him. Laugher, his best friend and flatmate, has had his own obstacles to overcome. He has a metal plate in his upper arm, which he shattered during a trampolining competition. At the time, he was told by doctors he would never dive again.
