Targets
In July 2008, UK Sport, the body responsible for the distribution of National Lottery funding to elite sport, published its expectations for the Games. It identified a 112 "stretch" medal target and expected to win 95 of them, including around 35 gold medals in order to finish second in the medal table.
The athletes met the expectations of UK Sport for total medals, gold medals and medal table position, finishing second behind hosts China with 42 gold and 102 total medals. It should be noted that the medals claimed were not all ones that had been targeted, the team fell short of targets in some sports whilst it exceeded them in others; out of the fifteen sports set a target eight succeeded in meeting them.
| Sport | Athens 2004 result | "Stretch" Beijing target | Won | Target met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 2 | 6 | 4 | N |
| Athletics | 17 | 30 | 17 | N |
| Wheelchair basketball | 1 | 1 | 1 | Y |
| Boccia | 0 | 2 | 2 | Y |
| Cycling | 7 | 14 | 20 | Y |
| Equestrian | 8 | 7 | 10 | Y |
| Wheelchair fencing | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Football five-a-side | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Football seven-a-side | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Judo | 1 | 1 | 1 | Y |
| Powerlifting | 1 | 2 | 0 | N |
| Rowing | N/A | 1 | 3 | Y |
| Wheelchair rugby | 0 | 1 | 0 | N |
| Sailing | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
| Shooting | 1 | 1 | 1 | Y |
| Swimming | 52 | 41 | 41 | Y |
| Table tennis | 2 | 4 | 0 | N |
| Wheelchair tennis | 2 | 1 | 2 | Y |
| Total | 94 | 112 | 102 | N |
| Total expected | - | 95 | 102 | Y |
| Total gold | 35 | 35 | 42 | Y |
Read more about this topic: Great Britain At The 2008 Summer Paralympics