(decathlon)

Dean Macey burst on to the scene as a star at the last World Championships in Seville when he defied all predictions to take the silver medal.

Making his senior international debut, the Essex youngster set no less than six individual personal bests as he racked up a points total of 8556 – a figure which has only been bettered by one Briton, the legendary Daley Thompson.

Despite adding 11 points to that total in last year's Olympics, Macey just missed out on a medal in Sydney, finishing fourth by just a handful points as training partner Erki Nool won gold.

Macey's success is testament to those athletes who never give up. Still only 23, he was at a low ebb as a teenager when a stress fracture of the foot required a bone graft which was kept in place by a metal plate.

In many ways he was lucky to be back competing at all.

Having recovered from a hamstring injury at the start of the year, powerhouse Macey will be hoping to add to his medal collection in what is a highly-competitive event, but always one of the most exciting.