Australian Olympians arrive home

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Governor-General Peter Cosgrove, as well as Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and Sport Minister Sussan Ley have welcomed the Australian Olympic team home.

Hundreds of friends and family packed into Qantas Hangar 96 this morning to greet a plane full of 330 Olympic athletes and officials who landed in Sydney, including the NSWIS athletes who represented the nation in Rio.

Turnbull and Cosgrove were the first to greet athletes, led by Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller and flag bearers Anna Meares and Kim Brennan as they left the plane.

The flight was a specially chartered Qantas flight, with medal winners invited to travel in business class.

Despite having returned home ahead of the rest of the team, NSWIS canoe slalom bronze medallist Jessica Fox was there to greet her teammates, which included fellow canoe medallist Lachlan Tame who also claimed bronze, albeit in sprint discipline (K2 1000m).

Also among the returning contingent was rower Cameron Girdlestone who was a member of the Australian men’s quadruple sculls crew who won silver.

All up 12 NSWIS supported athletes added to Australia’s medal haul in Rio, sailor Tom Burton the standout with gold in the men’s Laser class.

Cousins Lisa Darmanin and Jason Waterhouse claimed silver in Nacra 17, Australia’s first medal in a mixed event at the Olympic Games, while Iain Jensen and Nathan Outteridge also won silver in the Men’s 49er class.

Other medallists included swimmer’s James Magnussen and Matthew Abood who won bronze as part of Australia’s men’s 4x100m freestyle relay swimming effort.

Meanwhile Shane Rose and Stuart Tinney won bronze on horseback in the equestrian teams event.