Will we bring home the gold from Rio?

Kayaker Lisa Carrington has set her sights on an Olympic double gold medal in Rio next year.

The London 2012 Olympics were hailed as New Zealand's most successful with 13 medals - six gold, two silver and five bronze. The medal tally equalled the performance in Seoul in 1988. Eight golds were won in Los Angeles in 1984; however these Olympics were boycotted by the Eastern Bloc countries.

High Performance Sport NZ funding for London provided a lucrative return from key sports, with the exception of swimming, which failed to win a medal. New Zealand rowers topped the podium with five medals in total (three gold and two bronze). Valerie Adams and Lisa Carrington won gold in their events, while cyclists (silver and bronze) and the equestrian team (bronze) also brought home some hardware. Less anticipated medals came in sailing (gold and silver).

So how will New Zealand perform in Rio de Janeiro next year? The modest medal target is set at 14 for the Olympics and eight to 12 gold medals for the Paralympics with funding decisions made accordingly. Most of the funding (nearly 40 per cent of the $127,990 million will have been spent by the time the Rio Olympics begin) is allocated to Tier 1 sports: rowing, cycling and yachting - all of which delivered in London.

Given its underperformance in London, funding for swimming was subsequently cut, so it will be important for swimmers such as Lauren Boyle, who has already qualified for Rio, to have strong performances. Paralympic swimming is on a high with Sophie Pascoe and Mary Fisher expected to have successful Games.

With less than a year until the opening ceremonies, teams are being selected and athletes are working hard to secure their inclusion. New to the 2016 Olympic programme is sevens rugby, where New Zealand is expected to win medals in both the women's and men's events. Likewise, Lydia Ko's excellent performances in 2015 are an indication that she will be a very strong contender for gold in golf.

The rowers are aiming to be as good, or better, than they were in London, if the recent World Championships in Aiguebelette, France are anything to go by. Medal hopefuls for rowing are the men's and women's eights who have both qualified for Rio; a debut for the women and a return for the men for the first time since 1984. More medals are likely among our cyclists and from canoeist Lisa Carrington.

Shot putter Valerie Adams's form is questionable after undergoing elbow and shoulder surgeries at the end of 2014. She is seeking to defend her Olympic champion title. However, men's shot putter Tom Walsh has been performing strongly in Europe's Diamond League, where he recently won his first event beating the three medallists from August's IAAF World Championships in Beijing, thus proving he is a medal contender.

Athlete Nick Willis, a 1500m specialist and 2008 Olympic silver medallist, recently won the Fifth Ave Mile race in New York, signalling a strong start to his season. The Women's Black Sticks hockey team, who narrowly missed out on a medal in London, will be looking for a medal and boxers David Nyika and Alexis Prichard and weightlifter Richie Patterson are also possibilities. If Andrew Nicholson can recover from being injured earlier this year, he must also be a serious contender, given that he was a member of the eventing team to win bronze in London.

The challenge, as always, will be producing medal-winning performances in the huge spectacle that is the Olympic Games.

Government funding assists teams and athletes with their preparation for the Olympics, but what matters most is the performance on the day, which is one of the things that makes sport so exciting. New Zealand is recognised and celebrated for being a small sporting nation that punches above its weight on the international stage and we expect Rio to be no different.

Professor Sarah Leberman is Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Massey Business School, Dr Sarah Gee is a senior lecturer in the School of Sport and Exercise and Dr Trish Bradbury is a senior lecturer in the School of Management. All are involved in delivering at Massey University's sport management programme.