The Olympics start tonight. Here's a guide to our best medal hopes

Earlier this year data experts from Nielsen's Gracenote forecast the Australian Olympic team to have its best medal haul in two decades.

Experts concluded the Australian team would finish fifth at the Olympics with 49 medals - including 13 gold - the most medals the nation has won since Athens in 2004, and beating Tokyo's haul of 46.

The Dolphins swim team are expected to collect the lion's share of gold medals, but sports such as canoe slalom, BMX freestyle, cycling, athletics, rowing, diving, sailing, rugby sevens, hockey, skateboarding and tennis should be top podium chances.

At Tokyo the Dolphins claimed a record nine gold medals, but last year at the world championships in Fukuoka they won a record-equalling 13 gold, leading to Australia being tipped for an even better result at the Paris Games.

Mollie O'Callaghan (women's 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 4x100 freestyle, 4x200 freestyle, 4x100 medley) - After collecting two relay golds at the Tokyo Games, is hot favourite in the 100m freestyle and will tussle with compatriot Ariarne Titmus over 200m.

Kaylee McKeown (women's 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 200m individual medley) - The defending Olympic 100m and 200m backstroke champion has dominated her pet discipline for three years and is adding the 200 medley to her program.

Ariarne Titmus (women's 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle) - Gold medallist in Tokyo over 200m and 400m, her duel with American legend Katie Ledecky and Canadian star Summer McIntosh over 400m is being dubbed swimming's race of the century.

Kyle Chalmers (men's 100m freestyle) - The 2016 Olympic champion took silver in Tokyo when pipped by six hundredths of a second and could become the first Australian to win two Olympic golds in the blue riband race.

Sam Short (men's 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 1500m freestyle) - Best chance is over 400m where he aims to follow his idol Ian Thorpe in winning Olympic gold but is also a contender over the longer distances.

Cameron McEvoy (men's 50m freestyle) - His revolutionary training approach since a 2021 comeback includes rock climbing and calisthenics and, aged 30 at his fourth Games, is chasing his first Olympic gold.

Women's 4x100m freestyle - Australia, the world record holders, have won gold in the event at the past three Olympics and a team headed by O'Callaghan and Emma McKeon are overwhelming favourites for a fourth consecutive title.

Women's 4x200m freestyle - Australia's world record holders are hot gold medal fancies with O'Callaghan and Titmus the pace-setting mainstays supported by the likes of Shayna Jack.

Mixed 4x100m freestyle - Australia won gold at last year's world championships with a team of O'Callaghan, Chalmers, Jack, and Jack Cartwright setting a world record.

Australia women - The Matildas are without injured captain and striker Sam Kerr but despite being ranked 12th in the world, the World Cup semi-finalists fancy their medal chances.

Australia men - The world No.5 Boomers broke a 65-year medal drought by winning bronze at the Tokyo Games, 21-year-old point guard Josh Giddey tasked with piloting the side through a difficult pool stage in his first Games.

Australia women - Currently ranked world No.3, the Opals collected medals at five consecutive Games until 2016 - two silvers and three bronze - and superstar 43-year-old Lauren Jackson is eyeing a fifth Olympics.

Jessica Fox (women's K1, C1, kayak cross) - Born in the French city of Marseille, the reigning C1 Olympic champion is chasing three golds in Paris - at her fourth Games - with kayak cross added to the program.

Thomas Green/Jean van der Westhuyzen (men's K2 500m) - The pair captured Olympic gold in the K2 1000m in Tokyo but that event has been scrapped in favour of the 500m, in which they're World Cup winners this year.

Logan Martin (men's BMX freestyle) - Spent $70,000 on building a BMX park in his Gold Coast backyard and became first man to win Olympic gold when the sport made its debut in Tokyo.

Saya Sakakibara (women's BMX racing) - Won the 2023 and 2024 BMX Racing World Cup titles, emphatically bouncing back from serious injuries sustained in a horror crash in the semi-finals at the Tokyo Games.

Leigh Hoffman, Matthew Richardson, Matthew Glaetzer (men's team sprint) - The flying trio won world gold in the Paris Olympic velodrome in 2022, and silver last year.

Matthew Richardson (individual sprint and keirin) - The English-born powerhouse took silver at the Paris worlds and also beat biggest rival, Dutch great Harrie Lavreysen, on the Olympic track in one of last year's Champions League sprints.

Australia women - Powered by the exceptional Maddison Levi, the 2016 gold medallists and reigning World Cup champions are joint favourites with New Zealand despite losing vice-captain Madison Ashby and Lily Dick to knee reconstructions.

Australia men - Fourth ranked on this year's form, captain Nick Malouf's side, with Wallabies great Michael Hooper pushing for a berth, are 2022 World Series winners.

Nina Kennedy (women's pole vault) - Tied for gold at last year's world championships and admits to thinking every day since about taking top spot on her own on the Paris podium.

Nicola Olyslagers/Eleanor Patterson (women's high jump) - Olyslagers, silver medallist at the Tokyo Games and reigning world indoor champion, has been the world's most consistent jumper in the past two years while Patterson has gold and silver at the past two world titles.

Jemima Montag (women's 20km walk) - Aged 26 and already boasting an enviable collection of medals including silver at last year's world titles, could challenge for a second medal in the Olympic debut of the marathon mixed relay.

Keegan Palmer (men's park) - Won Olympic gold in Tokyo as an 18-year-old when the sport made its debut, a feat highlighted by being the first person to land a kickflip body varial 540 trick in a major park competition.

Arisa Trew (women's park) - World No.2, the 14-year-old won the Laureus Award for action sportsperson of the year for being the first female to land a 720 - two full rotations in mid-air - in competition when aged 13 last year.

Chloe Covell (women's street) - The world No.2 could become Australia's youngest Olympic gold medallist - she'll be 14 years and four months old in Paris, two months younger than Sandra Morgan-Beavis when the swimmer won 4x100m freestyle relay gold in 1956.

Australia men - The world No.2 Kookaburras, with one gold, four silver and five bronze medals, have a rich Olympic history but it's littered with near-misses including a shootout loss in the gold-medal game in Tokyo.

Australia women - Won the most recent of three Olympic gold medals in 2000 but travel to Paris as world No.4 and confident of performing much better than sixth-placed finishes at the past two Games.

Matt Wearn (ILCA 7) - The reigning Olympic champion in the class called laser at the Tokyo Games has won the past two world titles and could extend Australia's dominance in the event - countrymen Tom Burton (2016) and Tom Slingsby (2012) also won gold.

Alex De Minaur (men) - Loves competing for his country and dearly wants to make Olympic amends after testing positive to COVID on the eve of the Tokyo Games and missing that Olympics.

Men's eight - Australia has stacked its eight with three Olympic champions - Jack Hargreaves, Spencer Turrin and Alex Purnellin all won gold in the fours in Tokyo - in a bid to finally secure gold in an event the nation has won two silver and four bronze medals.

Women's pair - Annabelle McIntyre and Jessica Morrison finished second at last year's world championships and were members of the Australian four that won Olympic gold in Tokyo.

Jack Robinson (men) - The world No.2 has triumphed before at the Olympic venue Teahupo'o in Tahiti, winning one of his six WSL titles there.

Molly Picklum (women) - Victory at Hawaii's Sunset Beach and a runner-up at Pipeline have enhanced the world No.3's reputation as a fearless big-wave performer.

Minjee Lee/Hannah Green (women) - Green, the world No.5, finished three shots shy of a podium finish in Tokyo and won her first major this year while world No.9 Lee is a two-time major winner who has saluted 10 times on the LPGA Tour.

Caitlin Parker (women's 69-75kg) - Pipped for the gold medal in a split decision at last year's world championships, will become the only Australian woman to box at two Olympics - she was defeated in the round-of-16 in Tokyo.

Harry Garside (men's 63.5kg) - Breaking a 33-year Australian boxing medal drought with bronze in Tokyo, Garside then halted a high-profile professional career to instead chase Paris gold.

Penny Smith (women's trap) - Sixth in Tokyo, last year's world No.1 aims to win Australia's third Olympic gold in the event following Suzanne Balogh (2004) and Catherine Skinner (2016).

James Willett (men's trap) - Claimed his first individual World Cup gold medal in five years in Baku in May and has risen to world No.2 ahead of his third Olympic campaign.

Australia women - Gold medallists in 2000, bronze medallists in 2008 and 2012, the Stingers and new coach Bec Rippon believe they have the blend of experience and youth to again be among the medals.

Matt Hauser/Luke Willian (men) - Both have strong recent form with Willian's emergence capped by finishing third - behind Hauser in second - at the World Triathlon Series event in Yokohama in May.

Eileen Cikamatana (women's 81kg) - She won gold at the last two Commonwealth Games, first for Fiji and two years ago for Australia, and could end Australia's Olympic medal drought in the sport dating back to 1996.

Australia eventing team - Andrew Hoy, Kevin McNab, Shane Rose and Shenae Lowings secured the nation's Paris berth, but Hoy was left off the Australian team.

Edwina Tops-Alexander (women's jumping) - The two-time Global Champions Tour winner has two top-10 finishes from her past four Olympics and is ranked among the highest female riders in the world.

Cassiel Rousseau (men's 10m platform) - The first Australian man to become world champion in the event, in 2023, his grandfather Michel won Olympic gold for France in 1956 as a track cyclist.

Anabelle Smith and Maddison Keeney (women's 3m synchro) - The duo, who claimed bronze at the 2016 Games, won the recent Olympic test event in Paris after taking silver at January's world championships.

Taliqua Clancy/Mariafe Artacho del Solar (women's) - Won silver at the Tokyo Games and have sights set on being the second Australian pair to win Olympic gold, following Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst in 2000.