Fourth place.

For many athletes, it is the most difficult result at the Olympic Games.

While it represents a remarkable achievement, it is also painfully close to a podium finish and the realisation of a dream that drives so many athletes, which is to one day be called an Olympic medallist.

In my conversations and interaction with the athletes and coaches who are training and competing day-in, day-out, in hopes of representing Team GB at London 2012, one of the observations many have shared with me is the mixed blessing that is a fourth place finish.

On the one hand, you (or your team) are the fourth best in the world, which is a tremendous accomplishment in any endeavour. On the other, a podium finish was clearly within reach.

Therefore, it was important to note in the Infostrada virtual medal table published this week in a national newspaper that Great Britain, along with Russia, are predicted to record more fourth place finishes – 21 – than any other nation.


While the overall medal projections continue to provide a basis for optimism for Team GB, there is still considerable work to be done. This is why the British Olympic Association (BOA) has a four point performance strategy for London 2012, which guides how we allocate our resources and focus our support. You'll hear more about our overall performance strategy in the coming weeks, but for now, I'd like to focus on those near podium finishes:

It is vitally important to translate as many of the fourth, fifth and sixth place finishes from major international competitions in 2011 into podium finishes at London 2012.  These athletes are within clear reach of winning an Olympic medal, and 2012 should be their moment to shine. The 21 fourth place finishes that Infostrada are projecting is too many, and – working with the National Governing Bodies – it is a priority to provide those athletes with the high performance resources and logistical support necessary to take that final step and claim their place on the Olympic podium.

We are convinced that one of the biggest advantages Team GB athletes will enjoy will be the vocal support of the home crowd – and for many, this undeniable lift will elevate them to the podium.

Our performance ambition for London 2012 is to see Team GB athletes win more medals across more sports than in a century.  This is a massive challenge and we are under no illusion about how difficult it will be to achieve.  However, given the overall strength and depth in the British sport system, we have the athletes who can deliver.


One sport which has shown tremendous progression over the last Olympiad is hockey. Both the men's and women's teams are now ranked fourth in the world and clearly have the talent and potential to challenge for the medals in London. England's men became European Champions in 2009 and the women claimed five bronze medals at the World, European and Commonwealth levels over the last two years.

I was greatly impressed by the speed, skill and strength of the GB women as they claimed a breakthrough silver medal in the Champions Trophy in Argentina this week. Having failed to qualify for Athens 2004 and finished sixth in Beijing 2008, they now have the opportunity to peak at the right time this summer and secure Britain's first hockey medal since Barcelona 1992. We hope a combination of first class preparation and the passionate support of the home crowd will create a perfect atmosphere for our athletes to fulfil their undoubted potential this summer.

There is no doubt we are entering an exciting period with the track cycling, diving and swimming test events taking place in the Olympic Park over the next five weeks.

As well as offering critical Olympic qualification points and, in the case of our swimmers, the opportunity to secure their place on Team GB, these events will give our athletes the chance to experience firsthand the loud and fervent support of British fans.

We know the margin of difference among the nations placed fourth to ninth in the London 2012 medal table will be razor thin. I believe the British public – the hundreds of thousands of fans cheering and encouraging Team GB's athletes in the stadiums – will make all the difference.

Andy Hunt is chief executive of the British Olympic Association (BOA) and Team GB Chef de Mission for London 2012