London 2012: Top 10 Medal Hopefuls on Australia's Olympic Track and Field Team

After taking out two athletics gold medals in the very first Modern Olympiad in Athens 1896, Australia have continued to be a force on both the track and the field at the Olympics.

They may not be as dominant as other nations, but they always seem to have a favorite to cheer on and a surprise success story to support—the 2012 London Olympics is shaping as nothing different for the Aussies.

They will not win a plethora of athletics medals, but they will be a constant threat and as a result, here's the top 10 medal hopefuls on Australia's track and field team throughout the London Olympics.

10. Kalia McKnight

Women's 1500 meters

After posting a blistering time in Shanghai earlier in the year, Kaila McKnight could cause a few problems for her rivals in the 1500 meter event. 

McKnight ran a 4:05.61 to finish sixth in the event, but her time remains the sixth fastest time recorded throughout the year—leaving her in a great position to challenge for a medal.

9. Ryan Gregson

Men's 1500 meters

Ryan Gregson surprised many with his time in the 1500 meters at Doha and will be hoping to pull off a similar performance in London.

Despite finishing 11th in the race, Gregson's time of 3:33.92 was still fast enough to not only book a spot in the Olympic team, but also be an athlete to watch out for during the event.

8. Brendan Cole

Men's 400-meter hurdles

Brendan Cole's time in the 400-meter hurdles of 49.39 might not place him in the top 20 times posted so far this year, but that doesn't mean that he won't have a serious chance at the Olympics.

Runners ahead of Cole will inevitably miss out on competing at London due to limited selection positions for individual countries, and considering that Cole is only a second off the fastest time of the year, he could well pull off a shocking result in the final.

7. Jeffrey Riseley

Men's 800 meters

Jeffrey Riseley joins the growing list of Australian middle-distance runners that have a medal chance at the Olympics with his 1:45.62 putting him just two seconds off the fastest time of the year and just four seconds of the world record.

The world record holder, David Lekuta Rudisha, will compete at the Olympics, but with Riseley having the advantage of already racing the Kenyan champion, he could well sneak out with a bronze or even a silver medal in London.

6. Henry Frayne

Men's long jump, men's triple jump

With stellar jumps in both events this year, Henry Frayne is certainly an athlete to watch at the London Olympics and definitely a medal chance for Australia.

Frayne has recorded the third best distance in the world so far in the long jump and sits in the top 10 for the triple jump—jumping 8.27 and 17.23 respectively.

5. Jared Tallent

Men's 20-kilometer walk, men's 50-kilometer walk

Walking isn't the most glorified event at the Olympics, but don't tell that to Australian Jared Tallent, who is a definite medal chance at both the 20-kilometer and 50-kilometer events at London.

Tallent has a time of 1:20.34 in the 20-kilometer event and 3:40.32 in the 50-klilometer event already in 2012, with the latter time being the third fastest in the world this year. 

After winning bronze in the 50-kilometer event in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Tallent will be looking to go at least one better in London and must be seen as a genuine chance to do so.

4. Men's 4x400m Relay

Have a guess at the event?

With the sprinting world dominated by the likes of Jamaica and the United States, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Australian men's 4x400 meter relay team didn't stand a chance.

Yet considering that the Aussies' time of 3.01.58 recorded earlier in the year at Daegu is just a second and a half off the Americans' best time of the year, they might well be able to shock the world and finish on the podium for the event.

3. Alana Boyd

Women's pole vault

Alana Boyd will win a medal at the 2012 London Olympics, it's simply a matter of which one it will be as the Australian pole vault champion looks to dominate her rivals once more.

Boyd has the two highest jumps so far this year next to her name with a 4.76 and a 4.66 and is inching towards the elusive five-meter mark.

2. Sally Pearson

Women's 100-meter hurdles

Current world champion and 2008 Olympic silver medalist Sally Pearson is surely the favorite to win the 100-meter hurdles at the London Olympics and the Australian sprinter will not disappoint.

Pearson is in great form—with the fastest time all year—and will look to blow her rivals away in London like she has done over the past few years.

1. Steve Hooker

Men's pole vault

The form might not quite be there for Steve Hooker—who has struggled with injury over the past year or so—but he will certainly be a genuine threat at the Olympics and could well walk away with the gold medal.

He churned out a similar performance to win gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and considering he is only one of two men ever to jump higher than six meters, he certainly has the ability to clinch gold for Australia at the 2012 London Olympics.

Note: All statistics courtesy of International Associates of Athletes Federation (http://www.iaaf.org/index.html)

Follow Dan on Twitter—Follow @dantalintyre