Alison Williamson - Great Britain

Alison Williamson, 32, will be attending her fourth Games for Great Britain in Athens. She enters the Games as the best British medal hope and a proven performer at the elite level.

Williamson has enjoyed a celebrated international career featuring many finals. However, she has had to endure an unlucky run of silver medals. She was second at the world championships in 1999, second at the European championships in 2004, and even second in July’s Golden Arrow Grand Prix tournament in Antalya, Turkey, the last lead-up event before the Olympics.

"It’s about time I win one of these things!" she smiled. "On one hand it is very frustrating, but it also shows I am doing things right. If you can regularly make the final eight, or even the final four, it means you are constantly achieving. You are giving yourself a chance to win events and win medals. That’s the pleasing part."

Further proof of her consistency and quality is her Olympic record. Williamson has finished in the top 10 at each of her three Olympics. She was eighth in 1992, tenth in 1996 and ninth in 2000.

Williamson was 27th in the individual event at the 2003 world championships in New York, with Athens team-mate Helen Palmer, 29, the best-performed British archer in 13th. Williamson and Palmer then led Great Britain to a strong eighth place in the team event, ensuring the maximum three berths for the Olympics. (The third member for Athens, Naomi Folkard, 20, did not compete at the 2003 worlds.)

While raised in the country, Williamson is now based in London and trains at the National Sports Centre in Crystal Palace. During winter, she shoots over 70m on the inside of an indoor athletics track. The location has helped spark a new interest – she started adding running to her training program. She now runs five times a week, covering more than 50km. She also has a new sporting goal: she wants to run in the London Marathon next year.

Williamson is a big fan of Panathinaiko Stadium, archery’s 2300-year-old venue for the Games. "I love the history. I love being associated with that. It’s a real honour to get to compete in the stadium," she said.

While her parents watched her compete in Sydney, her family are staying in England this time. They are likely used to watching Williamson on TV – she has been appearing in a video diary of her Olympic preparation for the past year on a British sports channel. "It’s sad but a few of the selected athletes didn’t make the Olympic team," she said of the documentary. "It’s a reminder to me of how fortunate I am to be going to a fourth Games."