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Olympics 2016: Heroes of London 2012 going for gold in Rio – in pics

The Team GB Olympic champions who will be defending their titles at the Rio Games this summer

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By The Week Staff

published 28 July 2016

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As hosts of the London 2012 Olympics, Team GB won a remarkable 29 gold medals

In total, 48 British competitors were crowned Olympic champions. Some, like Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Ben Ainslie, bowed out after their triumphs in London. Others have been overtaken by a new generation of competitors, but can still look back on 2012 with pride.

Many of them will be in Rio this year to defend their titles.

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Here are those competitors looking to join an even more exclusive club of back-to-back Olympic champions, while an elite band of cyclists – Bradley Wiggins, Ed Clancy, Jason Kenny and Geraint Thomas – are hoping for golds at three successive Olympics.

Jessica Ennis-Hill: HeptathlonThe poster girl of London 2012 was in dominant form in London. She won the event with a British and Commonwealth record score of 6,955 points and set three personal bests in the competition. After taking time off to start

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