Team GB made history when they won 67 medals at the Rio games, finishing second in the medals table. “To add to the medal target personally was such a special moment – it really was the best Games in my opinion”.
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The seating plan caused little disruption though, with Team GB athletes all smiles as they departed in Rio, and the method has been seen as another incentive for athletes planning to compete in Tokyo in four years’ time to push even harder in order to gain similar recognition among their teammates.
The Team GB squad broke out an impromptu performance of the National Anthem on their jet home from Rio 2016 Olympics – but one member slept soundly through it.
Great Britain’s Olympians touched down on home soil on Tuesday after a hugely successful Games in Rio.
What struck me most about Team GB’s success was not only the pure dedication on show and the determination to use every last ounce of energy on the track, in the pool or on the pitch, but also the togetherness of the whole team, regardless of the discipline.
Extra water, champagne, snacks and treats were loaded on the 11 hour 15 minute flight from Rio de Janeiro.
‘At the end of the day, sport and the power of what we do, it’s about helping people get into sport and making a legacy’.
Kayaker Rachel Cawthorn tweeted: “Just arrived home in a@teamgb chartered @British_airways plane and it’s #greattobeBAck!”
He explained: “When were looking at this in the run-up to London 2012, I think we identified four components to Olympic success – funding, structure, coaching, and the athletes themselves”.
The sovereign offered her “warmest congratulations” for an “remarkable achievement”.
According to reports, there will be a victory parade in Manchester and another celebratory event in London later.
“The lovely thing is that after London 2012 we thought it could not be replicated, that feeling of uniting a nation, but the reaction here at Heathrow is just a small taste of what is to come”.
“It has nearly felt like it has been a tough year for the country, a lot has happened politically in the nation in the last few months, ” Grainger said.
The Boeing 747 will carry 320 athletes and support staff – as well as pole vaults, javelins, bicycles and a 6.7 metre sail – with a press conference scheduled for shortly after landing.
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“To win the first medal on the Sunday evening, a gold and a world record, it was a fantastic achievement and permeated through the rest of the British athletes and allowed us to medal in more sports than we ever have before”. “As we go out for dinner, people are coming up and saying “Well done” and buying us drinks – I don’t think we have bought a single drink since we have come back”.
