Aussie beach volleyballers Louise Bawden and Taliqua Clancy. Picture: Matt Turner.

You may not have heard of many of our Olympians — with almost two thirds of those already selected heading to their first Games — but with hard work and a bit of luck, some will be household names come August.

Brandon Starc is hoping he won’t just move out of his older brother’s shadow in a couple of months — but that he will leap clear of it completely.

The 188cm-tall 22 year old has his sights set on a high-jump Olympic medal after qualifying for the Rio Games with a personal best jump in China last year.

Starc recalls how both he and his brother were keen athletes and sportsmen as youngsters, but the two siblings gradually found distinctly different niches in which to excel.

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Australia's Brandon Starc qualified for the Rio Games with a personal best jump in China last year. Picture. Phil HillyardSource:News Corp Australia

And that the younger Starc has done, clearing 2.31m in Beijing in August to automatically qualify for the 2016 Games.

That puts him among the world’s best high-jumpers over the past 12 months.

“Anything can happen on the day,” Starc said.

“People might not be able to jump to the conditions, people might crack under pressure.”

“If I can get myself in a position to jump well and get anything from 230-235cm, I could be in contention.”

Australian Olympic Committee Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller said that of more than 130 athletes selected so far for the 2016 Games, 61 per cent were Olympic debutantes such as Starc.

“Just in the swimming team, 21 of the 34 will be rookies,” she said.

“Being selected for your first Olympic exam is a huge moment, often a life-changing one. These athletes have been training for years — decades even — to achieve this goal.”

With Rugby Sevens making its debut this year, there will be two teams of first-time Olympians, and among top picks for selection are halfback Charlotte Caslick, 21, and Lewis Holland, 23.

Although the Olympic teams haven’t yet been made official, the pair are tipped to make their respective Rio squads, with the women’s side among our gold medal favourites — thanks in part to the magical try scoring of her teammate Ellia Green.

Rugby 7s players Charlotte Caslick and Lewis Holland are both medal possibilities for Rio. Picture: Stephen CooperSource:News Corp Australia

A couple for the past three years, they live together on Sydney’s Northern Beaches near their training HQ at the Sydney Academy of Sport in Narrabeen.

Holland said he hoped the sport’s inclusion at Rio would encourage more players to take up the short code.

“I hope there are people who are growing up and they watch us at the Olympics and think they want to grow up and be a Sevens player,” he said.

“At the moment it’s a new sport so it’s hard to draw those younger players away and really focus on the Sevens because there’s so much focus on the Wallabies and the World Cup.”

For Taliqua Clancy, who is set to become the first indigenous Aussie beach volleyball player once selection is confirmed on June 13, the thought of the public attention once they are chasing a medal at Copacabana is the last thing on her mind.

“I am feeling really good, our preparation has been going really well,” she said.

“I think I just have a really great team around me I don’t feel like I will ever be alone in the spotlight and we are really focused on our outcomes in Brazil.”

Clancy and her partner for the past four years, Louise Bawden, are the highest ranked Australian players, and recently placed fourth in the world in a comp in Rio, which boasts some of the world’s most enthusiastic beach volleyball fans.

Louise Bawden and Taliqua Clancy are the highest ranked Australian players. Picture: Matt Turner.Source:News Corp Australia

“That result was great to keep taking our mindset forward,” said Bawden, who credits Olympic gold medallist Natalie Cook as a mentor and inspiration.

“Making the final four, and then making the podium — it’s all very much possible and we can now reach it.”

Although Brazil’s Olympic planners have been criticised for lack of readiness amid escalating political uncertainty and budget shortfalls, Bawden said her experiences so far in the South American country led her to believe the event would be successful.

“We have been really fortunate to have quite a few trips to the area over the past few years ... so there is a lot of familiarity for us,” she said.

“I think that by the time the Olympics roll around, there’s going to be really strong organisation around it and I am confident it’s going to be a really good and exciting games.”

The AOC has set an ambitious goal for this year’s Games — a top five finish in the medal tally.

“That will not be easy, of course,” Chiller said.

“Really though, if all our athletes go into Rio with the mindset of ensuring their process of preparation and performance is right and they give their all on the day, that is all we can ask.”

“They will be looked up to as role models, and while that brings responsibility, it will bring opportunities for the rest of their lives.”