As the Olympics draw to a close this weekend we have taken a look back at all of Essex's medal winners. 

It has been a busy games for Team GB with more than 50 medals and potential for more today with Essex's own Jess Judd running in the 10,000m final this morning. 

So far it has proved a successful games for Essex athletes with plenty of medals. 

Here we look at our stars and their success. 

Beth Shriever

Gazette:

Beth made history lasy Friday as she won Great Britain's first ever gold medal in the BMX event.

The Finchingfield athlete led almost from the start to finish during her race.

The 22-year-old athlete faced a long and bumpy road to the Olympics but it ended in jubilation after she pedalled to a superb gold in the women’s race.

It was a moment of validation for the Essex-born rider, who was forced to resort to crowdfunding and working part-time alongside her training after her funding was pulled four years ago.

After making history with training partner Kye Whyte by becoming Team GB’s first BMX medallists, Shriever hopes the pair’s success will lead to better provisions for the sport across the country.

She told the PA news agency: “We have got loads of tracks all round the country. I feel like now we need to prioritise that, getting more BMXs to tracks where people can’t really afford it.

“This is just the perfect opportunity – everyone wants to get involved, so hopefully numbers will be going up."

Max Whitlock

Gazette:

Max Whitlock, who trains in Basildon, secured gold in the men’s pommel horse competition on Sunday – the sixth Olympic medal of his career.

Whitlock struggled to comprehend his success.

"I feel lost for words," Whitlock told the BBC.

"I am completely overwhelmed and it feels kind of surreal.

“I had seen in the other sports the gold medals flowing in and I wanted to do the same here.

“It’s been an incredible journey."

Ben Maher

Gazette:

Great Britain’s Ben Maher won individual showjumping gold at Tokyo Equestrian Park after eclipsing his rivals aboard the brilliant Explosion W.

Maher, who is based near Stansted in Essex, produced a dazzling display under the floodlights to give Team GB its second successive Olympic showjumping champion following Nick Skelton’s success with Big Star in Rio five years ago.

The 38-year-old helped Britain to London 2012 team gold alongside Skelton, Scott Brash and Peter Charles, and he added individual title glory after living up to his tag as pre-Games favourite.

“I don’t know what was more pressure – this, or getting married in a fortnight,” said Maher, who had some time off from the sport early last year for planned back surgery.

“But there are so many people who have contributed to make this possible, and hopefully we will get home and have a big celebration.

“It crossed my mind that it will be a very good party if something went right this week. We can look forward to that now."

Alice Kinsella

Gazette:

Gymnast Alice helped Team GB to an unexpected bronze in the women's artistic team final.

The 20-year-old is the daughter of Colchester United legend Mark and granddaughter of U’s stalwart and former vice-chairman and director John Schultz.

Along with Amelie Morgan, 18, and 16-year-old twins Jennifer and Jessica Gadirova, the quartet looked out of contention at the halfway stage but fought back to claim Great Britain's first women's gymnastics team medal for 93 years.

Kinsella said: ."When we saw we'd come third we were speechless - I was on the floor, crying and everything.

"Our main aim was just to go out there and do better than qualification.

"We've proved to (our critics) that we're able to do it and we've come away with a bronze."

Matt Coward-Holley

Gazette:

The 26-year-old former Felsted School student shot 33 of 40 in the final round of the men's trap shooting to take third place on his Olympic debut.

The Essex shooter arrived in Japan as one of the favourites for the gold as the world and European champion but could not match the Czech duo of Jiri Liptak and David Kostelecky.

Coward-Holley’s partner, Augusta Rose Campos-Martyn, said his family and her are “immensely proud of his achievement”.

“What an amazing Olympic debut,” she told the PA news agency.

“Matt definitely has such a long career ahead of him."