Sportsmail picked seven stars to watch after the London 2012 Olympic bid, so where are they now?

Diving sensation Tom Daley and gymnastics star Louis Smith were among Sportsmail’s seven starlets to watch after the London 2012 bid was won… but how did the Olympic stars and their British compatriots fare and where are they now?

  • Two of the seven stars picked out went on to become Olympic champions
  • Diver Tom Daley is now something of a poster boy for British sport
  • Louis Smith became a household name and won Strictly Come Dancing 

Shortly after London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics, Sportsmail selected seven young British athletes to follow over seven years. 

Here is what happened to our picks. 

1 Giles Scott (Sailing) 

Scott missed out on a place at London to Sir Ben Ainslie, with only one sailor per country allowed in each class. 

After four-time Olympic champion Ainslie retired, Scott won Finn gold at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and now sails with Ainslie in the America’s Cup. 

Giles Scott won Olympic golds in Finn class sailing at both Rio and Tokyo

2 JEAN-RENE BADRICK (Judo) 

Badrick won a bronze at the European Youth Olympics in 2005 and claimed the British senior title two years later. But he was forced to withdraw from our project in 2010 through injury. 

He was replaced by fellow judoka Gemma Howell, who was knocked out in the first round at London. 

3 LOUIS SMITH (Gymnastics) 

Smith became the first British gymnast to win an individual Olympic medal in 100 years when he claimed bronze on the pommel horse in 2008. 

Louis Smith won four Olympic medals and has become a household name

Louis Smith won four Olympic medals and has become a household name

Four years later in London, he upgraded it to silver, as well as winning bronze in the team event, before going on to collect another silver in Rio — his fourth Olympic medal. 

4 SHANAZE READE (BMX) 

Reade won the first of three world titles in 2007 when she was aged 18. 

She crashed in the BMX final at the Beijing Olympics the following year and then came sixth at London 2012 before retiring five years later. 

5 TOM DALEY (Diving) 

Now one of Team GB’s most famous faces, Daley competed at Beijing 2008 as a 14-year-old and then won a bronze in the 10-metre platform at London 2012. 

Tom Daley is something of a poster boy for Team GB and has won four Olympic medals

Tom Daley is something of a poster boy for Team GB and has won four Olympic medals

A further bronze followed at Rio 2016 before he clinched an elusive gold medal in the synchro alongside Matty Lee at Tokyo 2020. 

6 RACHAEL LATHAM (Para swimming) 

After reaching two finals at the 2008 Paralympics, Latham retired because of injury in 2010 and instead worked at London 2012 as a Channel 4 presenter. 

She was replaced on Sportsmail’s scheme by Louise Watkin, who won four medals in the pool at the home Games. 

7 EMILY PIDGEON (Athletics) 

A European junior champion dubbed the ‘new Paula Radcliffe’, distance runner Pidgeon struggled to make the step up to senior level.

Having failed to qualify for London 2012, she retired at the age of 24 in 2014.

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