Chinese swimming team get hero's welcome

Beijing, Aug 7 (IANS): The Chinese swimming team, which won five gold medals at the London Olympics received a hero’s welcome when it arrived at the Beijing airport.

Hundreds of fans greeted their heroes Monday afternoon, some carrying bouquets. The crowds burst into exciting screams as Sun Yang and Ye Shiwen, who won two gold medals each, showed up, reports Xinhua.

The other gold came from Jiao Liuyang in the women’s 200m butterfly. China also won two silvers and three bronze from the pool, their best feat in Olympic history.

Sun, 21, broke the Olympic record in 400m freestyle and became the first Chinese man to win an Olympic swimming gold.

One gold did not satisfy Sun. He went on to bag a silver in 200m freestyle, and smash his own 1500m individual freestyle to help the team’s gold medal tally to five.

“I want to send huge thanks to all of you,” Sun said, adding that he knew home fans needed to stay up very late in China to watch the Games.

Sun said the result in London was different from that in Beijing when he was little known. “My dreams have come true, so have the dreams of my coach and the Chinese swimming team,” Sun said.

Sixteen-year-old Ye turned to be another spectacular Chinese swimmer, when she won two gold medals from the 200m and 400m individual medleys.

“It’s great to be back home. Thank you for your support,” Ye said. She described her experience at London as an incredible “dream’.

“The incident (of western media’s suspicion of doping) gave me a lesson, and I am more mature, though it affected me in a minor way,” Ye said.