Olympic champions on 'cloud 11'

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GB rowers win first lightweight gold

An Olympic rowing star who won gold at the Beijing Olympics in China has said he is still coming to terms with the public attention.

Zac Purchase, from Reading, Berks, and Mark Hunter, from London, won the men's Olympic lightweight double scull.

Mr Purchase said: "[I'm] on cloud 11, I think, to be honest."

Fellow Team GB competitor Iain Percy, from Southampton, made history with Dorset's Andrew Simpson as Star class sailing event gold medallists.

We were so relieved to have pulled it off Iain Percy

He added: "I have not quite made it to nine yet.

Mr Purchase added: "At Beijing, we were in a little bit of a bubble [and] did not realise quite how much media and public interest there was in the whole games.

"Then to come back here into the UK and get these sort of people meeting us at Heathrow - it was phenomenal.

"To have those four years of hard training and stand there and see the [Union Jack] flag go up and the national anthem being played just for us.

"The gold medal is for everyone involved in the project, for all of the support staff behind us, friends and family."

'Great feeling'

Meanwhile, Mr Percy described what it was like on the flight home.

"I remember looking out of the window when we were taxing in the plane and seeing all the crowds of people there," he said.

"When you are not used to it - coming from some of the smaller sports - that was fantastic it was a great feeling. "

On winning the gold, he added: "After so many highs and lows over the last couple of years.

"We were so relieved to have pulled it off and to do it together, also with Ben [Ainsley, who won the third gold medal of his career] who has been our great friend for years.

"It was brilliant."

Mr Percy said they will possibly begin their training for London's 2012 Olympic Games in four or five weeks after having a rest.

British competitors won 19 golds in Beijing to finish fourth in the medal table with a haul of 47 medals.

The team landed at Heathrow Airport on a dedicated British Airways Boeing 747 featuring a special gold medal "nose".