London, England

Paul Drinkhall, who enjoyed much success at the junior level, winning numerous national championships at his age, and at levels above his own age, was named to Britain's table tennis squad for the 2012 Olympics in London.

Drinkhall heads a group of six athletes selected by the British Olympic Association to represent Team GB in the sport in London Games.

The 22-year-old rising star from Middlesbrough is joined by Liam Pitchford and Andrew Baggaley.

Drinkhall, who ruled the English Championship thrice ('07, '09 and '11), recently broke into the world's top 100. His success at junior level, include three European junior titles and a silver medal finish at the World Junior Championships.

Drinkhall was the No. 1 British player ranked on the ITTF World Ranking list from March 2008 to November 2011.

Pitchford, 18, of Chesterfield, is coming off an impressive campaign in 2011. At the European championships, Pitchford toppled four ranked players in the world top 100, including world No. 9 Vladimir Samsonov and No. 20 Alexey Smirnov.

That brilliant performance earned him the No. 1 spot in the English rankings in November 2011. Pitchford concluded the year with a career-high World ranking of 171, becoming the third-highest ranked British player on the ITTF World Ranking list.

In 2010, Pitchford captured two medals at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Providing experience for the men's squad is 29-year-old Andrew Baggaley. The Northampton native is England's leading medal winner (5) all time in the Commonwealth Games.

Baggaley is also a three-time English singles national champ.

The balance of youth and experience can also be seen in the women's side which features Joanna Parker, 25, the English national champion.

Parker will be joined by Kelly Sibley, 25, who is also a national champion and a key member of the women's team in the 2011 European Championships campaign, and Na Liu 29, a regular competitor on the ITTF Pro Tour.

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