Why she'll win: Because she's a lifter with the spirit of a fighter. Liu was initially recruited into China's sports machine in judo but her strength was spotted and she was quickly moulded into a formidable weightlifter. The International Weightlifting Federation enshrined Liu as one of the governing body's top 100 lifters of the century after she won two titles at the 2003 World Championships, and Athens Olympics the following year. While the rest of the squad have fought tooth and nail for a berth, Liu has been deemed virtually irreplaceable and is considered a safe bet for gold again.

Who can stop her: Oxana Slivenko (Russia)

Final: Tuesday, August 12th