At Fairyhouse, Mikael D'Haguenet, considered a potential future Cheltenham Gold Cup contender, was sent off hot favourite despite making his first start in almost 600 days and his first outing over fences in Ireland.

BBC: Hurricane Fly wins at Fairyhouse in Willie Mullins treble

After all, in the month-plus leading up to the Olympics, every athlete can be marketed as a gold-medal contender.

FORBES: Magazine Article

One contender for the gold medal is Israel, where, despite political differences, locals have embraced this Arabic dish as their own.

BBC: Hunting for hummus in Israel

Reade is a junior BMX world champion and a contender to win gold when the sport makes its first appearance on the Olympic programme in Beijing but is also trying her luck on the track.

BBC: SPORT | Other Sport... | Cycling | Pendleton sets new British record

At that level of competition, every contender is a potential gold medalist on a perfect day, and no athlete is immune from loss in less than ideal situations.

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Dana Vollmer, a gold medalist as a teenager in 2004, returns after failing to make the 2008 team and is a contender in the 100-meter butterfly.

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