AUSTRALIA: A large crowd including Prime Minister Julia Gillard turns out at Sydney Airport to welcome Australia's Olympic team back from London

Record ID: 331105

  • Title: AUSTRALIA: A large crowd including Prime Minister Julia Gillard turns out at Sydney Airport to welcome Australia's Olympic team back from London
  • Date: 16th August 2012
  • Summary: PRIME MINISTER JULIA GILLARD GREETING ATHLETES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS THE KOOKABURRAS (HOCKEY TEAM) POSING WITH THEIR BRONZE MEDALS (SOUNDBITE) (English) EMILY SEEBOHM, SWIMMING GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE WINNER, SAYING: "We put pressure on ourselves as well as other people put on us. You know, it's nothing different. We knew that it was going to be so much hype around the Olympics. For me it was nothing different than what's happened before. I was fine with it but it's bad to see that people don't see we swam as well as we did." EMILY SEEBOHM AND BRITTANY ELMSLIE WITH THEIR THREE MEDALS EACH ANNA MEARS, CYCLING SPRINT GOLD SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANNA MEARS, CYCLING SPRINT GOLD MEDALLIST, SAYING: "It sunk in straight away for me. I always believed that I was capable. I worked very, very hard. I had a big team of people around me who also sacrificed and worked very, very hard. The disbelief of it happening was never there, it was just a real outburst of elation that it happened." JAMES MAGNUSSEN, SWIMMING SILVER MEDALLIST, SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS (SOUNDBITE) (English) JAMES MAGNUSSEN, SWIMMING SILVER MEDALLIST SAYING: "Yeah, I'm very hungry for gold you know. I don't think I quite appreciated when I won the world championships, and some of my achievements, how big an achievement it was. I just took it for granted because it happened. But now I know what I wanted. It's another four years but I've done it once so I hope to do it again." JULIA GILLARD TALKING TO MALCOLM PAGE SAILING GOLD MEDALLIST WITH HIS FAMILY (SOUNDBITE) (English) MALCOLM PAGE SAILING GOLD MEDALLIST SAYING: "Oh it's wonderful. Carrying the flag at the closing ceremony was very special but also just seeing the family and friends and the whole Australian community's really special. I can remember the feeling coming back from Beijing and this is just as strong."
  • Embargoed: 31st August 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Australia
  • Country: Australia
  • Topics: Politics,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA5MDQ7D1KAXZGZ1RM4UUM63927
  • Story Text: Julia Gillard was among a crowd of fans and family members at Sydney Airport on Wednesday (August 15) morning to give Australia's Olympic team a rowdy reception on their return from London.
    The team flew home on a specially chartered Qantas 747 with gold medallists upgraded to first class.

    "We put pressure on ourselves as well as other people put on us. You know, it's nothing different. We knew that it was going to be so much hype around the Olympics. For me it was nothing different than what's happened before. I was fine with it but it's bad to see that people don't see we swam as well as we did," said swimming gold medallist Emily Seebohm.
    Wearing the gold medal she won by beating arch rival Victoria Pendleton, sprint cyclist Anna Mears said she was enjoying every minute of her success.

    "It sunk in straight away for me. I always believed that I was capable. I worked very, very hard. I had a big team of people around me who also sacrificed and worked very, very hard. The disbelief of it happening was never there, it was just a real outburst of elation that it happened," Mears said.
    James Magnussen was sporting the silver he won in the 100m freestyle final and said he now wants gold more than ever.

    "Yeah, I'm very hungry for gold you know. I don't think I quite appreciated when I won the world championships, and some of my achievements, how big an achievement it was. I just took it for granted because it happened. But now I know what I wanted. It's another four years but I've done it once so I hope to do it again," he said.
    Veteran Australian sailing medallist Malcolm Page said the welcome home was a always a special memory of competing at an Olympic Games.

    "Oh it's wonderful. Carrying the flag at the closing ceremony was very special but also just seeing the family and friends and the whole Australian community's really special. I can remember the feeling coming back from Beijing and this is just as strong," said Page.
    Australia finished 10th in the medals table, their lowest medal haul in 20 years - seven gold, 16 silver and 12 bronze.
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