By Duncan Mackay

Caroline WozniackiFebruary 1 - Denmark has set a target of winning seven Olympic medals, including one from Caroline Wozniacki (pictured), at London 2012, the same number they won at Beijing four years ago, they have announced. 


The Danes claimed two gold medals in the Chinese capital thanks to rowers Mads Christian Kruse Andersen, Eskild Ebbesen, Thomas Ebert and Morten Jørgensen in the men's lightweight coxless four and sailors Martin Kirketerp and Jonas Warrer, who won the 49er class. 

Denmark have identified badminton, cycling, handball, rowing, sailing, swimming and tennis as the sports must likely to produce medallists at London 2012 but also have outside chances in canoeing, equestrian and table tennis. 

Denmark men's handball team recently won their second European Championships title, beating hosts Serbia 25-19 in the final in Belgrade, while Wozniacki was, until last month, the world's top ranked women's tennis player, a position she had held for 67 weeks despite never having won a Grand Slam title.

Denmark celebrate_winning_European_Handball_Championships_January_2012

"We have analysed our athletes' results in World and European Championships and other world level competitions in 2011 and have identified 20-22 realistic medal chances for 2012," said Danish Chef de Mission Jesper Frigast Larsen.

"Based on empiric evidence that it takes 2.5 to three medal chances to win an Olympic medal, we have set the target at seven."

Denmark expects to qualify in up to 18 sports in London with an estimated team size of up to 106 athletes.

Denmark competed in the first-ever Modern Olympics at Athens in 1896 when weightlifter Viggo Jensen won a total of three medals.

He took the gold medal in the two handed lift and silver in the one handed event. 

Jensen then competed in the free rifle shooting event and won a bronze. 

Denmark has competed in every Olympics since, with the exception of St Louis in 1904.

The country's most successul Games was in 1948, the last time London staged the Games.

On that occasion they won a total of 20 medals, including five gold

The winners included Paul Elvstrøm, the first of four consecutive gold medals he was to win as he became the most successful sailor in Olympic history, a record he will lose in 2012 if Britain's Ben Ainslie wins a fourth title, which will take his total to five medals, including a silver. 

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]