Hail the conquering heroes of the East

THE plane was dipped in gold and so were the athletes carried by her wings. The most successful Paralympic team in British sporting history touched down yesterday to a heroes' welcome and promptly promised to try to top their astonishing achievement in London 2012.

Carried on board a British Airways plane topped with a gold nose and golden wing strips, the British team, who together won 102 medals, were met at Heathrow Airport by Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, and Ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, a ParalympicsGB supporter, both bursting with praise.

The squad of 206 had brought home an impressive haul of medals, including 42 gold, 29 silver and 31 bronze, after a stunning performance that topped the nation's previous best in Greece in 2004 when Britain won 94 medals, including 35 gold.

Among the heroes of the hour were the swimmer David Roberts, 28, and cyclist Darren Kenny, 38, who both won four gold medals, and Lee Pearson, 34, the equestrian rider who won three golds, taking his total to nine, allowing him to boast a remarkable unbeaten record across three Games.

Among the other stars of the team was its youngest-ever Paralympian gold medallist, 13-year-old Eleanor Simmonds, who was in tears after winning the women's S6 100m freestyle crown and later adding the 400m title in a world record.

At yesterday's press conference, she declared herself to be delighted and said the older members of the team told her: "Just go out and relax; that's all you can do."

She added: "I'm only 13 now and will only be 17 in 2012, so hopefully it will get even better. It has just been amazing, and I have enjoyed every minute."

As the squad made its way through arrivals, there were cheers from members of the public. The athletes were also presented with a giant congratulations card signed by hundreds of supporters. Among the supporters present was the Prime Minister. Mr Brown said he was impressed by the inspirational performances from the Paralympians and said they had "done Britain proud".

He added: "We can all take inspiration from their talent and dedication. Forty-two golds and 102 medals in total is a tremendous achievement and is a fantastic springboard as we aim for even greater success in London in four years' time."

There were also medal-winners among the 17 Scots who competed in the British team. James Anderson won two silver and two bronze in swimming events, while Sean Fraser won bronze in the men's 100 metre backstroke. On the track, Elizabeth Clegg won silver in women's 100 metres, while Sam Ingram won bronze at the Judo.

Proving Scots are naturally cycling champions, and partly emulating the success of Chris Hoy who won four gold medals, Aileen McGlynn won two gold medals on the cycling track.

Yesterday Phil Lane, ParalympicsGB's chef de mission, hailed the squad's performance as "exceptional". The British team came second overall ahead of the US, but behind China who won 211 medals including 89 golds.

Mr Lane said: "We are looking forward to the future, and I'm sure this is going to be inspiring to a new generation of athletes to take us forward to 2012."