Swimming: James Magnussen - Men's 100m Freestyle
Every Olympics, there are one or two Australians who carry not only the hopes but also the expectations of the nation into the Games, athletes who for whatever reason have been established as the hottest of favourites to take home a gold medal.
In Sydney, there was Ian Thorpe in the 400m freestyle and Cathy Freeman in the track version of the 400m.
In Athens, it was Drew Ginn and James Tomkins in the men's coxless pairs in rowing, and Grant Hackett in his bid for a second 1,500m freestyle title.
In Beijing, it was Hackett going for a third win in the 1,500 (as history tells us, these favourites do not always win) and Leisel Jones in the 100m breaststroke.
In London there is one man who carries that mantle, and he is James Magnussen - or the Missile, as he has come to be called.
Magnussen has the confidence born of being the current world champion and the fastest swimmer in the world this year, half a second clear of his team-mate James Roberts, and nearly a second faster than France's emerging star, Yannick Agnel.
It is 44 years since Michael Wenden became the last Australian to win the 100m freestyle at the Olympics. On day five of the Games in London, James Magnussen should end the wait for Australia's next champion in the blue-riband event.
Athletics: Sally Pearson - Women's 100m Hurdles
We could have easily added Sally Pearson to the number one ranking with James Magnussen, since she certainly has as much expectation on her shoulders as the swimming star.
There is one difference between the pair's Olympic campaigns, however. Assuming the Missile does not false start, then all things being equal, on best form, he is likely to win.
Sally Pearson has been equally dominant in her event of the 100m hurdles, but therein lies the problem. The hurdles.
Pearson is in the form of her life, as reigning world champion at the 100m hurdles, and world indoor champion over the 60m hurdles.
She has a clear performance advantage over the rest of the field, and yet all it will take for her Olympic dream to shatter is for her to clip just one of the ten hurdles in the Olympic Stadium.
Just ask Gail Devers, the American hurdler who was leading the field in Barcelona before hitting the final hurdle and stumbling across the line in fifth position. More recently in Beijing, US hurdler Lolo Jones was the favourite but hit the second last hurdle and finished seventh.
This year the 100m hurdles title has seemed like it is Pearson's to lose. She has the top three times of the year (her best is 12.40 seconds), and gives the impression she has more left in the tank.
Based on the evidence, it will take an outstanding performance by one of her rivals (likely to be Jamaica's Brigitte Foster-Hylton and American Kellie Wells) to deny Pearson the first victory for an Australian in the 100m hurdles, after three wins in the event's previous incarnation, the 80m hurdles (Shirley Strickland de la Hunty, 1952 and 1956 and Maureen Caird, 1968).
Sailing: 49er class - Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen
The Australian team has a number of strong gold medal chances in London, but the initial focus is the 49er sailing class, which has become the personal property of Nathan Outteridge over the last four years.
Outteridge, from Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, has won three out of the last four world championships in the class - one with Ben Austin, the latter two with Iain Jensen.
In Beijing, Outteridge and Austin were closing in on Olympic gold, only to capsize in the final race to blow their title chance. They finished out of the medals in fifth.
Outteridge and Jensen have been top of the Laser sailing world for years, and have won the leadup events on the Olympic course. All that remains is to win the gold medal and the pair are likely to do just that.
Cycling: Women's Keirin - Anna Meares
Anna Meares is already one of Australia's most inspirational Olympic athletes, not only for her record of success at Olympic, Commonwealth Games and world championship level, but also because of her amazing comeback from a devastating crash in early 2008 to win the silver medal in the individual sprint in Beijing.
She will ride in three races in London, and will have the majority of the crowd in the velodrome against her, as she is seen as the mortal enemy of British track cyclist Victoria Pendleton, who she will face in the individual sprint.
Pendleton may have the upper hand in the individual sprint. It is even possible that the Germans could beat Meares and Kaarle McCulloch in the team sprint. But the keirin is Meare's pet event.
As the two-time world champion in the keirin and with the motivation of winning the first running of the event at the Olympics, it is difficult to see her losing this race.
Men's and Women's BMX: Sam Willoughby and Caroline Buchanan
The BMX Olympic title is a gold medal for daredevils, and Australia has two of them that could easily trigger a double celebration in London.
Sam Willoughby is the number one ranked rider in the men's competition, and the world title holder. Caroline Buchanan is ranked second in the women's standings, and she won the world time-trial title in May. Both riders go into the Olympics in great form and full of confidence.
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