Helen Glover & Heather Stanning (Rowing, Women’s coxless pair)

The pair have gone from strength to strength since the London Games, continuing to dominate their field. Thriving under the guidance of Robin Williams, Stanning and Glover are undefeated together since 2011 and are the world champions, defending the title they won in Amsterdam in 2014 by powering their way to more glory in Aiguebelette last year. They also won their second successive gold at the European championships this year and could become the first British women rowers to defend an Olympic title successfully.

Bradley Wiggins (Cycling, Men’s time trial)

Wiggins was named the BBC’s sports personality of the year for 2012 and then, 12 months later, became Sir Bradley. Back in the saddle, however, came frustration, with a chest infection and knee injury preventing Wiggins from competing at the 2013 Tour de France, and therefore defending the title he had won prior to the Games. On the track, Wiggins has excelled, breaking the hour record in June 2015 and then teaming up with Mark Cavendish to win gold in the madison at March’s Track World Championships. Aged 36, Wiggins will be aiming to win a British record eighth Olympic medal in Rio.

Timothy Baillie & Etienne Stott (Canoeing, Men’s slalom C-2)

They were both awarded MBEs after their surprise success in London but have gone in separate directions since then, with Baillie retiring two years ago. That prompted Stott to team up with Mark Proctor. They finished sixth in the world championships last year. Yet Stott has struggled with a career-threatening shoulder injury and he missed out on a chance to defend his Olympic title in qualifying this year.

Peter Wilson (Shooting, Men’s double trap)

Having won a third global title at the 2013 Shotgun World Cup in Al Ain, Wilson announced his retirement from shooting in October 2014, aged 28. Wilson wrote to the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) in April expressing his concern over a report which suggested the double trap should not be included at the forthcoming Games. It has remained on the Rio roster.

Philip Hindes, Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny (Cycling, Men’s team sprint)

Kenny is the team’s leader now that Hoy has retired, with the gap filled by Callum Skinner. They won the gold medal in the team sprint in the final round of the Track World Cup series but failed to reach the medal finals of the men’s team sprint after qualifying only sixth fastest on the opening day of the Track World Championships in London in March. There will need to be an improvement if they are to mount a successful defence of their Olympic title.

Katherine Grainger & Anna Watkins (Rowing, Women’s double sculls)

Grainger retired immediately after London before returning to training in September 2014 with the intention of competing in Rio. She formed a new partnership with Vicky Thornley and the pair won bronze in the double sculls at last year’s European championships. Grainger, now aged 40, and Thornley, 28, will also team up in Rio. Watkins will not be in Brazil having decided she was not up to the required level. The 32-year-old had returned to training in 2015 after a three-year absence, during which she had two children.

Steven Burke, Ed Clancy, Peter Kennaugh & Geraint Thomas (Cycling, Men’s team pursuit)

There is a new look to the team in Rio, with Kennaugh and Thomas both set to compete on the road. But Burke and Clancy remain from the squad that shone in London. Burke has recovered from the broken collarbone he suffered last year, winning gold at the Track European Championships in Switzerland and silver in the Track World Championships in London, while Clancy is also looking strong after injuring his back at the end of 2015.

Victoria Pendleton followed her golden London 2012 by forging a brave career as an amateur jockey. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Victoria Pendleton (Cycling, Women’s keirin)

Pendleton retired from cycling after the 2012 Olympics and has gone on to compete as an amateur jockey, finishing fifth in the Foxhunter Chase at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, an achievement she described as “a dream”. Pendleton has returned to cycling in recent months to criticise the “corrosive culture” within the sport in this country and following the resignation of Shane Sutton as British Cycling’s technical director amid accusations of sexism and discrimination.

Alex Gregory, Tom James, Pete Reed, Andrew Triggs-Hodge (Rowing, Men’s coxless four)

While James announced his retirement in 2013, his three team-mates are still rowing. Gregory and Reed are as solid as ever and both claimed their fifth gold medals in the world championships in the men’s eight in Aiguebelette last year. Reed is aiming for his third consecutive Olympic title, while Triggs-Hodge, the longest-serving rower in the men’s heavyweight squad, has managed to recover in time for Rio after missing much of the 2015 season because of illness. This will be Triggs-Hodge’s fourth successive Olympics.

Katherine Copeland & Sophie Hosking (Rowing, Women’s lightweight double sculls)

Copeland took a year out after her surprise success in London and, on her return to the water in 2014, teamed up with Imogen Walsh. The pair won a bronze medal at the European championships that year prior to a World Cup gold in Aiguebelette and Lucerne. The 25-year-old will have yet another new partner in Rio – Charlotte Taylor. Hosking retired from rowing in June 2013 so she could focus on a career in law and is now a trained solicitor.

Dani King, Joanna Rowsell, Laura Trott (Cycling, Women’s team pursuit)

King turned her focus away from the team pursuit after suffering a life-threatening training crash that left her with eight broken ribs, a punctured lung and a bruised liver two years ago, yet she was unhappy to be overlooked for the road event. Rowsell and Trott are still in the picture, though. They were part of the team that won gold at the Track European Championships in Grenchen, while there was a bronze medal to celebrate in the Track World Championships this year despite a poor qualifying round.

Jessica Ennis-Hill will be going for gold again in the heptathlon in Rio. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Jessica Ennis-Hill (Athletics, Women’s heptathlon)

The heptathlete finished third in the running for BBC’s sports personality of the year in 2012 and, the following year, became Jessica Ennis-Hill after marrying her partner, Andy Hill. The 2013 world championships was meant to be her first big event post-Olympics but she was forced to withdraw because of an achilles injury. Ennis-Hill also missed the 2014 Commonwealth Games having given birth to son Reggie that July. A little over a year later, however, she returned to action by winning gold at the world championships in Beijing. Aged 30, Ennis-Hill is aiming to defend her Olympic title in Rio.

Greg Rutherford (Athletics, Men’s long jump)

The 29-year-old heads to the Olympics as the holder of all four major long jump titles and well placed to defend his gold medal. Rutherford is in excellent form, retaining his European crown with a leap of 8.25m in Amsterdam last month. Rutherford, who has had his sperm frozen as a precaution against the Zika virus, bounced back from his disappointing performance in the Birmingham Diamond League in June, which ended an unbeaten run that had stretched back to last July.

Mo Farah (Athletics, Men’s 10,000m & 5,000m)

Farah has continued to rack up medals since London 2012, most notably repeating his 10,000m and 5,000m double-gold triumphs at the 2013 and 2015 world championships, as well as at the 2014 European Championships. The 31-year-old also made his London Marathon debut this year, finishing eighth. There have been problems, too, with Farah’s long-time coach, Alberto Salazar, accused of being involved in doping. Both have denied any wrongdoing and Farah will be in Rio aiming to defend his titles.

Ben Ainslie (Sailing, Finn class)

The most decorated British sailor of all time will not be chasing his fifth Olympic gold in Rio, having decided against competing shortly after London 2012, worn down by the physical toll of his rigorous training regime. However, Ainslie helped Oracle Team USA win the America’s Cup in 2013 and now the 39-year-old wants to challenge them with his own British team in 2017, Ben Ainslie Racing. The trophy has not been won by a British team before.

Andy Murray (Tennis, Men’s singles)

Post-London, the Scot has established himself as one of the finest players of tennis’s modern era. He has won three grand-slam titles, the most recent of which being this year’s Wimbledon crown, helped Great Britain win the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936 and risen to No2 in the world rankings, behind Novak Djokovic. The 29-year-old is in the form of his life and will hope to carry that into the Olympics.

Scott Brash, Peter Charles, Ben Maher, Nick Skelton (Equestrian, team jumping)

Losing Brash, the highest-ranked showjumper in the world last year and still GB’s leading rider in the global standings, after his two top horses picked up injuries was a blow. Hello Sanctos and Hello M’Lady have both failed to recover in time. Charles, who sold his horse to Bruce Springsteen’s daughter after London 2012, is also not part of the squad. Maher and Skelton will be in Rio, though, with the team securing its spot after finishing fourth at the European championships.

Jason Kenny’s cycling achievements have gone from strength to strength since 2012. Photograph: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images

Jason Kenny (Cycling, Men’s sprint)

The 28-year-old has won two world titles since London 2012, the most recent of which coming in the sprint at Lee Valley in March. He also won two silver medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, in the team and individual sprint. Kenny is competing in the same events at the Olympics, as well as in the keirin, and all being well he could return home as a six-times Olympic gold medallist, equalling Hoy’s haul.

Alistair Brownlee (Triathlon, Men’s triathlon)

Aiming to win his second Olympic gold, the older Brownlee brother has enjoyed further success since London 2012, winning the men’s race and the mixed team relay at the Commonwealth Games. He also won mixed relay gold at the world championships and the individual title at the European championships in 2014. Injury problems had prevented him from making the podium in recent World Series events but he has put those problems behind him, triumphing in Stockholm and Leeds in the past two months.

Laura Bechtolsheimer, Charlotte Dujardin & Carl Hester (Equestrian, team dressage)

Bechtolsheimer became Tomlinson in March 2013 after marrying professional polo player Mark Tomlinson and is the only one of the three who will not be competing in Rio having, post-London, forged a career in PR and marketing. Dujardin will be there with horse Valegro, who she won gold with in 2012. Hester has switched horses since London, going from Uthopia to Nip Tuck, with whom he has won two team silvers, in 2014 and 2015.

Laura Trott (Cycling, Women’s omnium)

Trott has excelled since London 2012, dominating the team pursuit and omnium events. She won omnium and scratch gold in the Track World Championships this year but perhaps her biggest achievement came in the 2015 Track European Championships in Grenchen, where victories in the omnium, scratch and team pursuit events saw her become a 10-times European champion. She also overcame illness to claim gold in the points race at the Commonwealth Games two years ago, pipping her GB team-mate Elinor Barker on the final sprint.

Chris Hoy (Cycling, Men’s keirin)

Hoy retired from cycling in 2013 and soon made a transition into business, launching his own range of machines – Hoy Bikes. Post-Olympics, the 40-year-old has taken to endurance driving and recently competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Charlotte Dujardin (Equestrian, individual dressage)

The 31-year-old has remained loyal to Valegro, the horse with whom she struck gold in London. Since the Olympics, the pair have won five team medals and seven individuals golds at championship level and they will be in Rio aiming to defend their Olympic title.

Nicola Adams prepares to defend her title at Rio 2016 during a training session in Belo Horizonte. Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Nicola Adams (Boxing, Women’s flyweight)

The 33-year-old, who became boxing’s first ever female Olympic champion four years ago, is well placed to defend her title judging by her performances since London 2012. Adams won gold at the European Games in Baku last year, in the Commonwealth Games two years ago and at the European Union Boxing Championships in 2013. She secured her place in Rio after a unanimous-decision win over Marielle Hansen of Norway at the European qualifying tournament in Turkey this year.

Jade Jones (Taekwondo, women’s 57kg)

Jones has won a host of medals since London 2012, including gold at the 2015 European Games in Baku and at this year’s European championships in Montreux. The 23-year-old, who was also awarded an MBE in 2013, will be seeking to defend her Olympic title in Rio.

Ed McKeever (Canoeing, Men’s K-1 200m)

The accountancy and finance graduate has won silver and bronze medals at world and European level since the Olympics. The 32-year-old will not be defending his title in Rio after failing to qualify for the Games during May’s Sprint World Cup in Duisburg.

Luke Campbell (Boxing, Men’s bantamweight)

The 28-year-old turned professional in April 2013 and won his first 12 fights, including a WBC lightweight eliminator against his fellow Hull fighter Tommy Coyle. The 28-year-old lost his next bout, against the Frenchman Yvan Mendy, but won the one after that, against Gary Sykes. His most recent success came against the Dominican Argenis Méndez.

Anthony Joshua (Boxing, Men’s super heavyweight)

Joshua turned professional after London 2012 and has progressed at high speed since then. The 26-year-old became IBF world heavyweight world champion in only his 16th professional fight, stopping Charles Martin in two rounds at London’s O2 Arena in April before retaining his title by knocking out Dominic Breazeale in June. He is Britain’s sixth world heavyweight champion and only the fourth man to win a pro heavyweight world title while still a reigning Olympic champion.