Record-breaking British Olympic team welcomed home

Swimmer Adam Peaty, who started the gold medal rush on the first Sunday of the Games, said: “We are in such a bubble”.

“As we attended the Games, we had high hopes for success from the most talented team that we had ever taken away”, he said.

British competitors won golds in swimming, canoe slalom, diving, track cycling, rowing, athletics, artistic gymnastics, golf, tennis, equestrian, sailing, triathlon, taekwondo, hockey, canoe sprint and boxing.

Bill Sweeney, British Olympic Association CEO added: “It has been a brilliant Games but this is not an overnight success.this is 20 years in the making and we’ve now enjoyed five successive Games of medal growth”.

Her comments come after Downing Street confirmed there would be no formal cap on the number of honours available for the team’s Olympic athletes and coaches.

Great Britain notched up an impressive 67 medals in Rio – including 27 golds, 23 silvers and 17 bronze – finishing second in the medal table behind the US.

Among those winners were Bradley Wiggins, who now has the most medals of any British Olympian with eight, including five gold, and Jason Kenny, who joined Chris Hoy on six as victor of most golds.

Sir Hugh, a former sports and Olympics Government minister, said: “The National Lottery funding is reasonably secure in any event because that relies on people buying their lottery tickets week in, week out and incidentally, if you haven’t done so please do so because this supports our Olympic athletes”.

The picture of the brothers’ post-race embrace will be an enduring image of Team GB’s success.

“It has been a brilliant Games but this is not an overnight success”, he said.

Now they are on the last part of the journey, returning home on British Airways flight BA2016 from Rio to Heathrow.

“The lovely thing is that the London Games were undoubtedly a huge inspiration for the nation and we all thought it could not be replicated, it will never happen again and was a once in a lifetime moment”. I think we all felt that nearly couldn’t be replicated, it couldn’t happen again, it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

If I could just inspire one person to go down to the track or maybe to try a little bit harder at training I’d be over the moon.

She continued: “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”.

“I send my best wishes to all those who contributed to this remarkable achievement”, read a statement on the Royal Family’s official website.

“I think when we arrived just an hour or so ago it was overwhelming the reception that we got, not just from British Airways but also everyone who is in Terminal 5”.