The Olympics have arrived - a preview of the Games

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As the 29th Olympiad opens on Friday in Beijing, we take a look at the local talent vying for gold at the Games...

ATHLETICS

Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow will be represented by a trio of athletes in Beijing.

Selected in the 400m and 4x400m relay, Nicola Sanders will be gunning to add an Olympic gold to her World Championship silver medal won in Osaka.

The 26-year-old is competing in her first Olympic Games, but has not had the build-up to Beijing that she would have hoped for after missing a large part of the season injured.

- Sprinter Marlon Devonish is a old hand when it comes to major competition, especially the small matter of an Olympic Games.

The reigning 4x100m relay Olympic Champion will be competing in the 200m and will be hoping to add an individual gold to the team medal he brought home from Athens in 2004.

The Langley runner has had a decent year so far but failed to impress at the Olympic trials.

However, despite pulling out of the 200m with illness and finishing nearer the back of the field than the front in the 100m, Team GB selectors opted for his experience in Beijing.

The 32-year-old was captain of the GB team that won the European Cup in France in June - Devonish’s ninth appearance at the event.

Devonish’s gold medal collection includes 2002 Commonwealth Games, 2003 World Indoors and 1998 Europeans and Commonwealth Games.

- Laura Turner has been selected to run in the blue ribband events, the 100m and 4x100m relay at Beijing.

The 25-year-old will be competing in her first ever Olympic Games and is a European 4x100m relay silver medallist.

HOCKEY

Former Maidenhead Hockey Club star Matt Daly is expecting to play a key role in the Great Britain men’s team aiming for gold at Beijing.

Centre froward Daly was influential in GB’s successful Olympic qualifying campaign in Chile, scoring four times in the process.

The 25-year-old former Desborough School pupil, now plays for Surbiton and has been part of the England squad since making his debut against South Africa in 2005, a game in which he scored.

Daly, who has won over 90 international caps, has also represented England at a World Cup, the Commonwealth Games and the last two European Championships.

- Datchet resident Richard Mantell will be playing alongside his elder brother, Simon, in the Great Britain men’s hockey team.

With over 50 England caps, Mantell has been playing international hockey since 2003 and has amassed nearly 30 caps for GB.

An influential part of the squad which qualified for the Games, Mantell bagged five goals in the tournament, including two against India in the final.

The 26-year-old full back has played at a World Cup and a European Championships, but missed the 2006 Commonwealth Games through injury.

In 2006, Mantell was named in the World Hockey All Star team.

- Slough Ladies Hockey Club veteran Kate Walsh will play a key part in Great Britain’s pursuit of Olympic glory in Beijing.

Walsh first represented GB at the Sydney Games in 2000 when GB finished eighth and her experience will be vital to the nation’s hopes of winning gold, alongside Slough teammate Alex Danson.

Defender Walsh, 28, has over 130 caps for England and 60 for GB.

Walsh made her GB and England debuts in 1999 and has competed one Olympics, two World Cups, three European Cups, two Champions Trophies, three Champions Chall-enges and two Common-wealth Games, where she won silver at Manchester 2002 and bronze at Melbourne 2006.

- Slough team-mate and forward Alex Danson is still a doubt for the Games after picking up an injury in a warm-up match.

Danson was vital in Slough’s victorious campaign last term and has cemented her place in the Great Britain team over the past season. She was even recently praised to have the same attacking impact on the pitch as Wayne Rooney.

The 23-year-old, previously nominated for the BBC Young Sports Person of the Year, injured her ankle in last week’s friendly win over New Zealand and the rest of the team and her coach, Danny Kerry, will be keeping their fingers crossed she is fit for the opening match with Germany.

Danson has nearly 100 caps for GB and England after becoming the youngest ever international player, making her debut against Germany aged 16 in 2001.

She has a bronze medal from the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006 as well as bronze from the 2005 and 2007 European Cups and a gold at the 2005 KT Cup.

Danson will be hoping to be part of the team that brings home a women’s hockey medal for the first time since bronze in Barcelona 1992.

ROWING

Katherine Grainger MBE has an illustrious record in the sport, but her medal collection is missing one thing - an Olympic gold.

Grainger won silvers at Athens (pairs) and Sydney (quadruple sculls) and has a seat in the quadruple sculls this time around as she attempts to be part of the first Great Britain women’s crew to win gold.

The four-time World Champion is GB’s most successful Olympic female rower and was awarded an MBE in 2006 for services to the sport.

At last year’s series of World Cups, Grainger picked up a medal at each event, winning the overall quad title. The same crew then went on to win gold at the World Championships.

- Marlow rower Sarah Winckless missed the whole of last season through injury but is entering the Beijing Games full of confidence in the eights after good preparations.

The Athens bronze medallist (double sculls) and double World Champion (quad 2005 and 2006) also rowed in Sydney but came a disappointing ninth.

The 34-year-old, who lives in Henley, earned a fifth place finish at the World Cup meet in Munich this year before securing third at Poznan.

Winckless made her GB debut in 1998 after taking up rowing at Cambridge University.

Her first major honour came that year, winning silver at the FISU World University Championships.

- Lightweight double sculler Zac Purchase is one of Great Britain’s best hopes of a gold medal in Beijing.

Alongside teammate Mark Hunter, Purchase won three golds in this year’s World Cup series to thrust himself to the forefront of the sport.

In 2006, the 22-year-old won the world lightweight singles title at the Eton World Championships, before securing bronze at the event last year.

He also took silver at the 2005 World Championships and struck gold in the World under 23 Championships.

- Reigning World Champion Annie Vernon is competing in the quadruple sculls at the Beijing Games.

Marlow Rowing Club member Vernon medalled at each World Cup event last year to win the overall series title and also took gold at the World Championships in Munich.

This year, the 25-year-old secured first and third place finishes in the series.

The former Cambridge University student gained her first GB vest in 2004 when she won bronze at the World under 23 Championships.

SWIMMING

Windsor Swimming Club’s Simon Burnett will be competing for gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay in Beijing.

The 25-year-old is a double gold medallist for England at the 2006 Melbourne Common-wealth Games and was part of the Great Britain 4x200m squad that just missed out on a medal at Athens.

Burnett, who is studying at university in Arizona, USA, hold British records for the 100m freestyle and 200m freestyle.

CYCLING

Former Marlow Rowing Club member Rebecca Romero is aiming to be the first British woman to win Olympic medals in two different sports.

The 28-year-old won silver in the quadruple sculls in Athens but has swapped her boat for a bike to compete in the individual pursuit and points race at the track cycling event.

After her switch from rowing, Romero took silver at the 2007 World Cycling Championships after becoming British Champion.