OLYMPIC hero Chris Hoy made a triumphant return to his home city this morning, joining his fellow Scottish Beijing stars for an official reception at Edinburgh Castle.
The city's Lord Provost told the cyclist the city was "proud and inspired" by his achievements.
Silver medallists Katherine Grainger, Ross Edgar and David Florence were also among those present at the event in the capital this morning.
The athl
etes later set off on an open-top bus ride down the historic Royal Mile to Holyrood Park.
Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Louise Martin, chair of Sportscotland, were also at the castle to welcome the athletes back.
"Chris Hoy is now Scotland's most successful ever Olympian and everyone in Edinburgh is immensely proud of him," Lord Provost George Grubb said today.
"Watching him power to victory three times in Beijing was truly inspirational and the city's open-top bus parade gives as many people as possible the chance to join in the celebrations.
"I'm sure that Edinburgh will give all of the winning medallists a fantastic welcome home."
Track cyclist Hoy, 32, was the first Briton for 100 years to win three golds at a single Olympics – and became Scotland's greatest Olympian in the process.
The Edinburgh athlete, dubbed The Flying Scotsman, won his gold medals in the men's sprint, the team sprint and the Keirin in Beijing.
He had also won a gold at the Athens Games in 2004 in the 1km time trial.
Sturgeon said today: "Very few athletes achieve the honour of being selected to represent their country as an Olympian and I am sure that all of Scotland will join me in congratulating the very successful Team GB, its 32 Scottish members and our four Scots medallists."
The SNP government in Scotland caused a stir in recent days by repeating its call for a separate Scottish Olympic team, despite the success of Team GB, but Sturgeon today emphasised the importance getting involved in sport.
"The Scottish Government's overriding priority is to see an increase in sporting participation rates throughout Scotland," she added.
"The success of our four medallists can only be a major influence on our young people and help inspire the heroes of tomorrow."
Ms Martin said she was proud of all the athletes, including the 32 Scots in Team GB.
"The achievements of the four Scottish medallists will hopefully inspire and motivate our young people to take part in sport and physical activity and engender the belief that they too can succeed," she added.
Hoy told a press conference today he had been overwhelmed by the reception he has received.
"To come back home to the reception I've received – it's almost overwhelming. It has been incredible," he said.
"This is a special moment for me being back and at this iconic location as well of Edinburgh Castle."
The cyclist said it was also positive for so much media attention to be centred on a "minority sport" and hoped it would inspire more youngsters to participate.
Hoy revealed the experience in Beijing had been "unbelievable".
He added: "I knew it was possible in each event to be the best but to do it at the same time and do it under pressure, it's difficult to describe."
He went on: "There's so much pressure in the build up and expectation.
"It was an incredible time."
Edgar, 25, who clinched silver in the men's Keirin, described winning the medal as "the biggest thing that's ever happened in my life".
He went on: "Just to be in the same era as Chris, it's an amazing thing."
Edgar told the press conference his Olympics had been filled with ups and downs.
He had been hoping for a medal in the team sprint but just a few days before the event he was taken out of the team.
The young athlete then had to quickly refocus all his efforts on the Keirin.
He said: "When I crossed that line I was just so happy that I had come away with something from the Games and to do it with Chris as well was really amazing."
Rower Grainger, 32, picked up her third silver medal in three consecutive Olympic Games.
Asked whether she would be competing in the London 2012 Games, she said: "It's only two days since Beijing so it's quite early to make any decisions.
"Anyone who's been to an Olympics would agree it's the most inspirational, inspiring, exciting thing to be part of.
"Even getting there is a huge achievement."
She admitted the 2012 Games was a "draw" and said: "There's still a gold to be won."
The Glasgow-born athlete went on: "I think we've only got a tiny idea of just what London 2012 will do for the whole country.
"It will be incredible on many, many levels.
"Of course I want to be part of that."
Canoeist Florence, 26, spoke of the moment he took a silver medal in the men's slalom.
He said: "That final run, to be honest that's the easy part. It's before you start the run, that is the tough part."
He said his thoughts were: "It's been about 10 years' work and this is the Olympic final and I actually feel pretty good."
The Aberdeen athlete continued: "As soon as you start the run you are doing what you are used to doing day-in day-out.
"The run went fairly well fortunately in the final. We came to the bottom and crossed the line and that was it.
"That was 10 years of pressure over."
Simon Clegg, Team GB chef de mission, hailed Scotland's "outstanding and critical contribution" to Britain's most successful Olympics for a century.
He said: "These are very special athletes, not just the athletes sitting beside me, but the 311 athletes that made up Team GB, including 31 Scottish men and Scottish women who contributed in such a major way to the success of Team GB."
He went on: "These people are members of a very special club, a club that money can't buy, a club that many people aspire to and a club on whom membership is bestowed on very few.
"Each and every one of them has achieved a massive lifetime goal by representing our country at the Olympic Games."
Mr Clegg continued: "Scotland made an outstanding and critical contribution to the success of Team GB."
He pointed out that Scottish athletes were represented in 12 out of 20 sports in which the British team participated.
And in two sports, tennis and canoe slalom, the participants were exclusively Scottish.
Mr Clegg said: "I think that's a huge testament to Scottish sport.
"I do not believe there's been a more exciting time, more dynamic time in Scottish sport than at this moment in time as you look forward to Glasgow 2014."
The four athletes emerged from the castle to huge applause from a crowd of waiting well-wishers.
A bagpiper played as the sportsmen raised their arms and cheered.
They climbed aboard a red open-top bus, their medals hanging around their necks, and the vehicle set off down the Royal Mile.
Cheering crowds packed the pavements as the bus rolled past.
The full article contains 1206 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
