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Great Britain competed in the first modern Games in Athens back in 1896. The country's inaugural gold was won by weightlifter Launceston Elliot in the men's one hand lift, an event similar to today's modern snatch.

With a population of just 60 million, Britain has punched above its weight, maintaining a strong tradition of success in disciplines such as athletics and rowing.

One of the best performances came in London in 1908, when they won more medals than any other nation, triumphing in sports ranging from swimming to boxing, walking to Tug of War.

The Games were also an organizational triumph, as London had just two years to prepare following the switch from Rome after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 1906.

London hosted the Games for a second time in 1948, and for the team, it was as much a triumph of organization as athletics. They were again staged with less than two years to prepare, and with rationing still in force they nevertheless provided the global community with a much-needed lift.

Mary Rand became the first British woman to win an Olympic track and field title in Tokyo in 1964. She surpassed the Olympic record of 1960 with all of her seven long jumps, including a world-record mark of 6.76 meters which none of her competitors could touch. Rand was also a silver medalist in the women's pentathlon.

A captivating rivalry between British middle-distance runners Steve Ovett and Sebastian Coe (pictured right) provided the highlight of the athletics program in Moscow in 1980, as they battled it out not once, but twice over 800 meters and 1,500 meters.

Coe held the world-record time over the shorter distance going into the Games, but got his tactics all wrong in the final as he delayed his burst on the home straight and was unable to catch Ovett.

Ovett seemed favorite to double his gold haul with victory in the 1,500 meters, having gone 45 races unbeaten over that distance prior to Moscow. However, this time Coe was faultless, keeping pace with East German Jurgen Straub all the way, and timing his burst perfectly on the final straight for a famous win.

British athletes produced their best collective performance at a post-war Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984, winning five gold medals, 11 silver, and 21 bronze. Winners included Sebastian Coe, who retained his 1,500m title with an even better run than in Moscow. Coe hasn't lost the winning habit, as he guided London's successful bid to host the 2012 Games.

Memorable performances by the team's male and female captains, Linford Christie and Sally Gunnell, ensured a successfully Barcelona 1992 Olympics. Christie won the 100 meters at the age of 32, while Gunnell stormed home to claim the 400 meters hurdles. Pictures of the pair, draped in Union flags on their laps of honour, remain two of the most enduring images of Britain's recent Olympic history.

In Atlanta 1996, Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent overcome difficulty to win a memorable gold in the coxless pairs.

They exploded out of the blocks in the final as a nation held its breath. For a moment it looked like they had committed themselves too early, as a promising Australian team began to gain in the final 500 meters. But Pinsent rallied and drove their rate back up to around 44 strokes a minute, which was good enough to cling on for victory by 0.93 seconds.

In Sydney 2000, Britain's athletes returned with 11 gold medals, their best showing at a Summer Games since 1920.

Redgrave, now 38, won a record-breaking fifth straight gold medal, this time as part of a coxless four, which also contained Pinsent. In Athens 2004, the experienced middle-distance runner Kelly Holmes became only the third female athlete ever to win both the 800 meters and 1,500 meters.