30. Louis Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO8SCeopyng Sport - Gymnastics A bronze medalist on the pommel horse in Beijing four years ago, twenty three year-old gymnast Louis Smith went one better this time around, winning a silver medal in the discipline and only missing out on gold due to a technicality, having achieved the same score as the gold medalist, Hungarys Krisztian Berki, with a routine deemed more difficult. In a sport that was dominated for so many years by the Soviet Union and Romania, and then America, Japan and China, the countrys progress in competitive gymnastics is a sign of how much improvement is being made across the country in a sport where, just a few years ago, Beth Tweddle was the only competitive British face seen at major championships. This has changed, and in addition to his silver, Smith was part of the British mens all-around team that took home a bronze medal (initially silver, though this was given to the Japanese after they lodged an appeal), alongside fellow pommel horse medallist Max Whitlock. This was Britains first medal in a team gymnastics event for a hundred years, and a result that they will seek to better next time around. 29. Nick Skelton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u7V_r3QssI Sport - Showjumping Equestrian, which incorporates eventing, showjumping and dressage, is one of the few Olympic sports where age has little to no effect on the performance of athletes, as proven by the entry of Japanese rider Hiroshi Hoketsu in 2012, who competed at the age of 71. At the age of 54, Nick Skelton is no spring chicken himself, and his long career in showjumping has seen him both break his neck and retire, before reversing his decision, determined to win an Olympic medal, something that his extensive collection of accolades was lacking, despite the longevity of his career. Awarded an OBE in the 2012 Birthday Honours for his contributions to his sport, Skelton, riding Big Star, seemed set for disappointment once again after hitting a fence for the first time in the competition in the second round of the final, which consigned him to fifth place. In the team event, however, Skelton and his teammates, Scott Brash, Peter Charles and Ben Maher, took gold following a jump off with the Dutch team, giving one of the countrys longest-serving sportsmen a reason to celebrate at last.