Foster's pick of the Brits

13 April 2012

If the British swimming team have a good Olympics, they will come away with five medals. The most we could hope for - if everyone swims out of their skins - is eight. Of course, we have a lot of swimmers ranked very high in the world going into the Games and our chances of success in the pool have been hyped up but you have to remember our trials were four months ago in April. Also, our swimmers qualified in one of the fastest pools in the world - Sheffield's Ponds Forge is indoor and a lot of records have been broken there.

Many other countries pre-selected swimmers so they haven't shown themselves this year and these will come in at the top of the rankings rather than the bottom.

Unfortunately, we don't have any guaranteed gold medallists because no one is that far ahead in their event. We have not got a Michael Phelps, Ian Thorpe or Inge de Bruijn.

I just hope they all do well as I know how hard they have worked for this and they deserve to succeed.

My five tips for medals . . . Melanie Marshall (200m freestyle)

She is a good shout because she is No1 in the world this year. At the last Olympics the women's 200m freestyle was an easy event and everyone has targeted it in Athens. If Melanie does her time from the trials she has a chance, but she had clear water then - no one was anywhere near her and she was able to swim her own race. She is going to have it tough next week and she hasn't been in a major championship final before.

She does not have a classic swimmer's physique - she is stocky and all her competitors will be four or five inches taller - but she is mentally tough. Her main rival will be Germany's Franziska van Almsick.

Katy Sexton (100m, 200m backstroke)

I think the 100m event is too short for her. She proved herself last year winning the 200m World Championships in Barcelona but with that comes pressure. There is a group of women all doing around the same time but if Katy swims like she did last year and does 2mins 9secs she could win. She is certainly Britain's best chance of a gold medal. No one else has shown themselves in the women's backstroke events this year - yet.

Women's 4x200m relay

The girls are in with a shout of a medal but they won't win. There are only about five teams in it - Germany, USA, Australia, China and us - so it will be a great race. Again Melanie is crucial - if she is off-song they have not got a chance.

David Davies (1500m freestyle)

He was fourth in the World Championships last year and is third in the world this year. No one will beat Australia's Grant Hackett, so it is all about second, third, fourth and fifth. Out of all our men he is our best chance of a medal. He is young, has been training fantastically this year but is a little inexperienced, although in this event that is no bad thing. If he tries to go with Hackett he will blow up, but if he sits with other people he'll be all right. I think he'll get bronze.

James Gibson and Darren Mew (100m breaststroke)

Brendan Hansen from the USA, who just broke the world record, and Japan's Kosuke Kitajima will be one and two although I'm not sure which one will win. Both Mew and Gibson have a chance for bronze. Mew has the second fastest time in the world this year but does not have a great pedigree in major championships. He has not been able to take the pressure in the past but I have seen a different side to him this year. Gibson came third at the World Championships last year and so is proven on the big stage.

My event (50m freestyle)

I reckon Gary Hall junior from the USA will win in my absence. South Africa's Roland Schoeman will be second and American Jason Lezak will get bronze. You can't rule out Alexander Popov but I think this is one step too far. I would have made the final and then anything can happen. I hope they swim under 22 seconds because that might have been a tenth of a second too fast for me. If they go 22.1secs or 22.2secs I will be gutted. The frustrating thing is that I injured my shoulder in March, am now fully recovered and in the best shape of my life.

Potential medal-winners:

Ian Edmund (200m breaststroke): I can't see Brendan Hansen and Kosuka Kitajima being beaten but there is a bronze medal up for grabs. Gregor Tait and James Goddard (200m backstroke): I'm not sure which is Britain's best bet.

Men's (4x100 medley relay): If we have a blinder we could get bronze.

Alison Sheppard (50m freestyle): She must rediscover her form. It will be a very close final. Rebecca Cooke (800m freestyle): She was third at the World Championships but there are a few more women around now.

Event to watch:

The men's 200m freestyle on Monday. Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps, Pieter van den Hoogenband and Grant Hackett are all legends already.

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Foster's pick of the Brits

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