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GB Olympic heroes set for return home |
 Members of the Great Britain team will arrive back in the United Kingdom from China on Monday following their best Olympic performance for 100 years. British competitors won 19 golds in Beijing to finish fourth in the medal table with a haul of 47 medals. The team are due to land at Heathrow Airport at around 1500 BST before attending a news conference.
Speaking on the plane, Team GB chief Simon Clegg said: "We're at 35,000 feet and it's a fantastic atmosphere."
Clegg added: "We had a fantastic team party back in the village for the whole of the British team after we got back from the closing ceremony.
Britain had heroes of its own, led by the brutality of Chris Hoy and his relentless, robotic velodrome victories
"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."
As the countdown begins to London 2012, Team GB will arrive on a dedicated British Airways Boeing 747 featuring a special gold medal "nose" in celebration of their success.
The plane, renamed Pride after the British Olympic lion mascot, bears a message "Proud to bring our British heroes home" emblazoned on the fuselage.
Most of the British team, their support staff and some 30 commercial passengers, are on board flight BA 38.
And there is some extra weight on the inbound flight too - 44lb of additional metal, in the form of Olympic medals.
Extra champagne has been ordered for the flight and the airline has given the medallists special upgrades.
BA said the plane is scheduled to touch down at Heathrow at 1505 BST after a 10-hour journey from Beijing.
Shortly after the plane touches down, the majority of the athletes will be taken to a hotel for a reunion with their families, but some of the gold medallists will head straight for a news conference.
Unloading their baggage will be a job in itself - there are 700 pieces of equipment on board, including 80 bikes, six javelins, and four canoes.
Captain Alasdair MacFadyen said: "We've all been following Team GB whilst they've been in Beijing.
"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."
Organisers have warned fans to stay away from the airport and said the public could mark the homecoming at a victory parade in London on 16 October.
A reception at Downing Street is also likely to be arranged.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has already stated the honours system will recognise the team's achievements.
The British Olympic Association had targeted an eighth-place finish in the table.
But despite some below-par displays in athletics and equestrian events, excellent performances from the swimmers, rowers, sailors, boxers and canoeists helped Team GB finish above the likes of Australia and Germany.
The cyclists won a total of 14 medals, including eight golds, with Hoy's efforts making him the first Briton in 100 years to win three golds at the same Games.
Swimmer Rebecca Adlington is sure to receive a huge reception in her home town of Mansfield following her two golds in the Water Cube.
The 19-year-old became Britain's first female Olympic swimming champion in 48 years with victory in the 400m freestyle. She followed that achievement by winning gold in the 800m event.
Her victory will soon be toasted in the Adlington Arms after it was announced the local Yates's pub would change its name in her honour.
The coxless four brought home a stunning rowing gold for GB.
The rowers picked up two golds, two silvers and two bronzes for their best Olympics since 1908 while Britain's sailors will have a hard act to follow in 2012 in Weymouth. They won four golds, including a third for Ben Ainslie, who was elevated to the same status as record-breaking swimmer Michael Phelps and sprinter Usain Bolt by Olympics chief Jacques Rogge.
Britain's boxers also did well, with James DeGale adding gold to bronzes for David Price and Tony Jeffries, while Tim Brabants picked up the country's first ever canoeing gold.
Despite a magnificent 400m gold for Christine Ohuruogu, the athletics team disappointed overall, falling one short of their target of five medals.
"It has been frustrating - we almost hit the target, but you don't get medals for close," said UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins.
26.08.2008
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Weather in Athens
 Mostly Cloudy14 °C / 57 °F
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