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25/08/2008
Team GB Brings Home A UK 'Gold Rush'
Athletes from the Great Britain Team have returned to a heroes' welcome after scooping 47 medals at the Olympic Games in Beijing.
British competitors have performed at their best in 100 years with their haul - taking fourth place overall - being achieved four years early, as London's 2012 Olympics is now looming.
The team landed at Heathrow Airport at 3pm before attending a news conference.
Among the winners, Nicola Cooke won gold for cycling, women's race road. Rebecca Adlington and Joanne Jackson won gold and bronze for swimming, 400m freestyle.
Jamie Staff, Jason Kenny and Chris Hoy won gold for track cycling, men's team sprint. Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson won gold, for sailing and James Degale, gold for boxing, middleweight.
Tim Brabants picked up the country's first ever canoing gold.
Addington became the first British woman to win two golds in the pool and in a world record time.
Team GB Chief Simon Clegg said: "We had a fantastic team party in the Olympic village for the whole of the British team after we got back from the closing ceremony.
"We have been living in a bit of a bubble, but it's going to be so exciting to see how much it's been embraced by everyone at home."
The plane, renamed Pride after the British Olympic lion mascot bears the message "Proud to bring our British heroes home" on its fuselage.
The airline has been given the medallists special upgrades and extra champagne has been ordered to keep spirits bubbling.
Captain Alasdair MacFadyen said of the GB team: "They've done the UK proud and we're so pleased to be delivering them back to home soil to the heroes' welcome they've earned.
UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins said "we've got some fantastic young athletes and there's real promise for 2012".
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said the British government will be "investing heavily" in the country's sporting talent in the build-up to 2012.
Declaring the 2008 Games closed, Jacque Rogge, the International Olympic Committee President, told 91,000 people inside the Bird's Nest stadium: "Tonight, we come to the end of 16 glorious days which we will cherish forever."
(DS)
British competitors have performed at their best in 100 years with their haul - taking fourth place overall - being achieved four years early, as London's 2012 Olympics is now looming.
The team landed at Heathrow Airport at 3pm before attending a news conference.
Among the winners, Nicola Cooke won gold for cycling, women's race road. Rebecca Adlington and Joanne Jackson won gold and bronze for swimming, 400m freestyle.
Jamie Staff, Jason Kenny and Chris Hoy won gold for track cycling, men's team sprint. Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson won gold, for sailing and James Degale, gold for boxing, middleweight.
Tim Brabants picked up the country's first ever canoing gold.
Addington became the first British woman to win two golds in the pool and in a world record time.
Team GB Chief Simon Clegg said: "We had a fantastic team party in the Olympic village for the whole of the British team after we got back from the closing ceremony.
"We have been living in a bit of a bubble, but it's going to be so exciting to see how much it's been embraced by everyone at home."
The plane, renamed Pride after the British Olympic lion mascot bears the message "Proud to bring our British heroes home" on its fuselage.
The airline has been given the medallists special upgrades and extra champagne has been ordered to keep spirits bubbling.
Captain Alasdair MacFadyen said of the GB team: "They've done the UK proud and we're so pleased to be delivering them back to home soil to the heroes' welcome they've earned.
UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins said "we've got some fantastic young athletes and there's real promise for 2012".
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said the British government will be "investing heavily" in the country's sporting talent in the build-up to 2012.
Declaring the 2008 Games closed, Jacque Rogge, the International Olympic Committee President, told 91,000 people inside the Bird's Nest stadium: "Tonight, we come to the end of 16 glorious days which we will cherish forever."
(DS)
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