How Team GB's Tokyo 2020 medal table compares with Rio 2016 - and the rest of Europe

Team GB has hit the ground running in Tokyo 2020 with its best start to an Olympic Games in modern times, raising the possibility British athletes may beat their stellar performance in Rio 2016.

So far Team GB has won 18 medals, including five golds.

Rio 2016 was a record-breaking year for Team GB, with the achievement of 67 medals - 27 of them gold - and a second-place finish ahead of China, and now hopes are high this year's Games may top this performance.

Major success for Team GB in Tokyo began on what has been dubbed "Magic Monday", which saw the first gold medals awarded to British athletes: one for Adam Peaty, who defended his 100m breaststroke title, one for Tom Daley and Matty Lee for their performance in men's synchronised 10m platform diving, and then another for Tom Pidcock in cross-country mountain biking.

With British athletes continuing to bring home gold, silver and bronze since then, Team GB is now ranked within the top 10 across all countries and within the top five within just Europe as the Games move into day seven.

Indeed by the end of day six only the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) - Russian athletes competing under the Olympic flag rather than representing their country due to a doping ban - was ahead of Team GB in the European rankings, with other major nations like France and Germany trailing behind.

Of these three nations France is closest behind, with three golds and 11 medals overall, followed by Germany also on three golds but 13 overall.

The Netherlands is another European nation having a particularly strong Tokyo 2020, with the country's performance so far significantly outstripping its showing in Rio at this point in the competition.

So far the Netherlands' athletes have scooped two golds, for a total of 13 medals overall.

Likewise Italy and Germany are so far having better Games than their last outings, yet France is broadly on track with its Rio 2016 performance.

More than 10 days of competition remain, however, meaning Team GB may yet find itself knocked off course for another record-breaking competition.