At a special ceremony held to coincide with 50 days until the start of the Paralympics, Weir was the leading name of a team that will be desperately seeking to improve on its performance in Beijing four years ago.

Then the team finished a lowly 18th in the athletics medal table behind the likes of Tunisia, Mexico, Croatia and Ireland.

Weir was the only athlete to win a gold medal, claiming victory in the T54 800 and 1500 metres, titles he will be defending in London, where he will also be hoping to win the marathon.

"Training has been going well and I'm completely focused on success in London," said the the 33-year-old Weir, who has also won three world tites and claimed a record-equalling sixth London Marathon title in April.

"Last winter was my first solid block of winter training in a couple of years and that, coupled with the great support team I'm working with, has really helped me both physically and mentally.

"I definitely felt the pressure going into Beijing four years ago but I've grown as an athlete since then and I think I proved that to an extent with my gold medals at the World Championships in New Zealand last January.

"There's no doubt that the T54 class is one of the most fiercely competitive and exciting to watch in Paralympic sport, but I have realistic expectations and I hope that I can give the crowd something to shout about in one of the Games' showpiece events."

Overall, Britain won a total of 17 medals in Beijing and will be hoping that they turn some of the seven silver and eight bronze in a better colour to fuflil the expectations of what are set to be capacity crowds in the Olympic Stadium.

There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic after the team finished fourth overall at the IPC World Athletics Championships in Christchurch last year with a total of 38 medals, 12 of them gold.

Among the winners there was Richard Whitehead, better known as a marathon runner but who won the T42 200m in Christchurch.

His selection means that he will become a double Paralympian, having represented Britain in sledge hockey at the Winter Games in Turin in 2006. 

For all Weir's achievements, however, potentially the biggest star of the team could be Jonnie Peacock, a 19-year-old from Cambridge who recently broke Oscar Pistorius' T44 world record in the 100m when he ran 10.85sec at the US track and field Paralympic trials in Indianapolis. 


Peacock (pictured) is one of several world record holders in the squad.

Others include Hannah Cockcroft, the T34 double world champion in the 100m and 200m, and Paul Blake, the T36 world record holder in the 1500m and world 400m champion.

"As you can see from our selection, we've made a lot of changes since Beijing where we finished 18th overall and that medal performance has been our benchmark for progress ever since," said Peter Eriksson, UK Athletics' head coach.

"We had a hugely successful World Championships in January 2011 where we won 38 medals and finished third in the medal table.

"Now, in my third full year at UKA, we're starting to see the gradual transition to a much more professional squad with a fantastic team spirit as well as having competent performers.

"Overall the strength and depth of the squad has improved and that's a huge positive.

"We've seen a tremendous increase in the number of new athletes coming into the sport and in particular, those that we've been able to fast track from development through to international representation at junior and senior level, and that's evident in this team – which means we've had to make some tough decisions.

"I'm confident we can do well and but we can't underestimate the fact that every other nation will have stepped up their preparation and performance goals in this quickly evolving and fast-improving sport."

The team features a number of experienced campaigners including Stephen Miller, a three-time Paralympic gold medallist in the F32 club throw, and Dan West, a multiple medallist in the F34 shot putt and discus, who have been selected for their fifth Games.

Tracey Hinton, meanwhioe, a double gold medallist in the T11 100m and 200m at the recent IPC Athletics European Championships, celebrates her sixth Paralympic appearance.

Beijing medallists returning to the ParalympicsGB team in addition to Miller and Weir are Ben Rushgrove, Mickey Bushell, Shelly Woods, Dan Greaves, Hazel Robson and Libby Clegg.

Clegg has recently returned from the IPC Athletics European Championships in Holland where she won two gold medals in the T12 100m and 200m and knows she has the opportunity of a lifetime in London.

"I was so excited to medal in Beijing, but I was still very young and with a lot to learn and back then I couldn't even begin to imagine how it might feel to be selected for a home Games," said the IPC world 100m champion who won silver four years ago.

"I've moved home and training base and changed my guide runner and coach since then but it's all coming together at the right time and I'm in the shape of my life.

"As a team we're also stronger and the atmosphere within the squad is so much more positive than I've ever experienced before, which really helps us perform."

The team also includes Derek Derenalagi, one of several athletes in the ParalympicsGB team for London who has come through the Ministry of Defence's Battle Back programme.

He will compete in the discus.

This was the final team announcement for ParalympicsGB and completes the line-up of British athletes who will compete at London 2012.

In total, 288 athletes have been selected, alongside a further 13 team members, including sighted goalkeepers, tandem riders and guide runners.

It is the biggest team that Britain has ever sent to the Paralympics.

"This team has a promising balance of experience and new, up-and-coming talent and I can't wait to see how they perform in London," said Craig Hunter, the Chef de Mission of ParalympicsGB.

To read the full team click here.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]