THE biggest sporting event in the world gets under way on Saturday as the 2008 Olympic Games start in Beijing.

The Games are the pinnacle of any athlete’s career, and Team GB has high hopes for another big medal haul, with UK Sport (governing body for development of sport in the UK) demanding a minimum of 35 medals.

There is plenty of local interest in Beijing, not least with athletics sensation Steph Twell earning a call-up to the squad last month.

The 18-year-old, who turns 19 while in Beijing, runs in the 1500m alongside team-mates Lisa Dobriskey and Susan Scott, and she has high hopes of a good performance after some fine recent displays.

The Farnborough resident, who is coached by Mick Woods at the Aldershot, Farnham & District Athletics Club, won the gold medal in the 1500m at the World Junior Championships in Poland before running a personal best time in the Paris Golden League to assure her place in the squad.

Twell has plenty of time to prepare for her event, as her heat does not take place until August 19.

Judo star Karina Bryant also has high hopes for Beijing, which will be her third Olympic Games.

The four-time European Champion, who trains at Camberley Judo Club, has plenty of Olympic experience, and she won her opening two fights in Athens four years ago, before losing to the eventual silver medallist Dayma Beltran.

The 29-year-old Farnham resident has been in good form this year, coming fifth in the recent Paris Super World Cup, and kicks off her Beijing challenge on August 15.

A major hope for a medal in Beijing is trampolining veteran Claire Wright, who competes in her first ever Olympic Games.

Wright, who has won the British Championships for the past seven years, has won more than 50 medals on the World and European stage.

Narrowly missing out on a medal at this year’s European Championship in Denmark, the 29-year-old, who lives in Sandhurst, will be looking to go one better in Beijing when her qualifying round begins on August 16.

At just 16, artistic gymnast Becky Wing is also heading to Beijing for her first Olympic Games.

Taking part in the team competition which starts on August 10, the Farnborough resident proved she has the nerve for the big events when she came fourth in the 2007 British Team Championships and was a member of the GB World Championship Team in Brazil.

Wing, who trains in Heathrow, has had plenty of success in her young career, notably with a fifth place in the European Championships in Greece back in 2006.

Synchronised swimmer Jenna Randall kicks off her Beijing challenge alongside Rushmoor club-mate Olivia Allison on August 18.

The 19-year-old Camberley resident and her team-mate are the first synchronised swimmers to compete at an Olympic Games since 1992.

The duo finished 15th in the qualification tournament for the Games earlier in the year, and came 20th in the World Championships back in 2007.

Hockey star Alex Danson forms part of the GB squad for her first Olympic Games.

The 23-year-old, who lives in Hook, is one of the country’s brightest talents and has more than 100 international caps for Great Britain an England.

Once nominated for the BBC Young Sports Person of the Year, Danson will play a vital role should Britain take an unlikely medal. The women’s hockey begins on August 10, with Britain taking on Germany in Group B.