All hail the heroes of 2012! Victory parades across the world as Olympic athletes return home

Incredible scenes: Piarco International Airport was mobbed with fans eager to welcome home Trinidad and Tobago's Olympic hero Keshorn Walcott - the javelin thrower won gold at the London games Heroes welcome: French fans swarmed the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris to welcome their Olympic heroes home. The French athletes boarded an open top bus for a victory parade through the capital Bienvenue: French Olympic athletes celebrated on board double decker buses that paraded through the streets of Paris, to the delight of flag-waving crowds The curtain may have come down on what has been hailed as the 'greatest ever' Games, but the celebrations are far from over as fans across the globe came out in their thousands to welcome home their 2012 Olympic heroes.

Crowds: Sports fans packed the streets of Paris to welcome home their Olympic heroes Adulation: Members of Russia's 2012 Olympic team signed autographs for adoring fans who flocked to Moscow's Sheremetyevo international airport to greet their heroes Proud: Russia's athletes, who scooped a total of 82 medals at the London Games, were showered with flowers and petals when they arrived in Moscow National pride: The Dutch Olympic can be seen standing on a stage created to look like a gold medal as crowds cheered in Den Bosch, the Netherlands From the Champs-Elysees in Paris to Piarco in the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago, the world's sporting stars were met with incredible scenes as supporters in their home nations flooded airports and city streets to honour their athletes' achievements at the London Games.

Athletes disembarking from their flights from London were showered with petals, mobbed by autograph hunters, and - in the case of one teenage gold medal winner - presented with a new house and a cheque for $155,000.

Achievement: Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar admires javelin thrower Kelshorn Walcott's Olympic gold medal. Plans are in place in the country to name a lighthouse and a plane after the teenage champion Olympic fever: Trinidad and Tobago's Olympic hero Keshorn Walcott was greeted by a carnival atmosphere at Piarco International Airport When javelin thrower Keshorn Walcott was promised the cheque when he landed in Trinidad and Tobago, along with a luxury home and roughly 20,000 square feet of land near his hometown.

His proud home nation is even planning to name a lighthouse and a Caribbean Airlines plane after the 19-year-old champion.

Amazed: Javelin thrower Keshorn Walcott looks moved as he gazes at the crowd gathered at Piarco International Airport to welcome him back from the London Olympics, where he won a gold medal Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar lavished Walcott with gifts and praise on Monday as thousands of fans dressed in the national colours of red, black and white arrived at Piarco International Airport to greet the young athlete.

Monday was named a national holiday in honour of Walcott, who won the Olympic javelin title with a throw of 277 feet and six inches. His victory represented Trinidad's first Olympic gold in a field event and only its second overall.

The first one was won by Hasley Crawford in the 100 metre sprint in Montreal, 36 years ago.

'On behalf of the people of Trinidad & Tobago, we thank you, Keshorn, and may the Lord continue to bless you,'Persad-Bissessar shouted into a microphone over the chanting crowd.

Walcott, who is from the tiny Trinidadian farming village of Toco, looked slightly stunned by the outpouring of gratitude from his countrymen.

'I was proud to carry the flag of T&T and thanks to everyone for all the support and thanks to Mum and Dad, my brothers and sister,' said Walcott, who was the world junior champion in javelin before his big weekend win at the London Olympics.

Champion: Algerian Taoufik Makhloufi, who won the gold medal in the men's 1500m final, greets fans upon his return to Algiers

Sporting prowess: Taoufik Makhloufi is the only Algerian to have won a medal at the London 2012 Olympics

Congrats: Algerian gold medal winner Taoufik Makhloufi, centre, was greeted by the country's minister of sport Hachemi Dijar, left, upon his return

Medal winners from Qatar's Olympic team hold up their national flag as they arrive at Doha International Airport. Nasser al-Attiyah, left, won bronze in the men's skeet final in shooting, while Mutaz Essa Barshim, won bronze in the high jump

It's the real deal: Qatar's Nasser al-Attiyah is pictured with his bronze medal clamped between his teeth. Champions biting on their medals has become a familiar sight during the 2012 Games

High praise: Qatar's bronze medal winners Natar al-Attiyah, right, and Muttaz Essa Barshim, left, were greeted by Shiekh Joaan bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (pictured centre), the son of the Emir of Qatar, when they arrived home from London

Making history: Guatamala's first Olympic medal winner Erick Barrondo is pictured waving from a bus during a welcome parade staged on the streets of Guatamala City. Barrondo took the silver medal in the men's 20km race walk final at the London games.

Other dignitaries from countries all over the world turned out to greet the returning athletes, including Algeria's sports minister Hachemi Dijar, who was there to greet the country's only medal winner Taoufik Makhloufi when he landed back from the London games. Makhloufi won gold in the men's 1500m final.

Meanwhile Qatar's bronze medal winners received a warm welcome from Shiekh Joann bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the son of the Emir of Qatar.

Celebrations: Crowds of fans waving flags cheered Erick Barrondo, Guatemala's first ever Olympic medal winner, during a victory parade through the streets of Guatemala City Home sweet home: Team USA medal winners Gabby Douglas, an artistic gymnast, looked thrilled to be back on home soil Nasser al-Attiyah took bronze in the skeet men's final in the shooting at London 2012, while high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim also returned to Qatar decorated with a bronze medal.

Brazilian medal-winners touched down on home soil bearing the Olympic flag from London, making the start of four years of preparations ahead of the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.

A little something to say thanks: South African runner Caster Semenya, right, was presented with a cheque for 200,000 rand - equivalent to more than £15,000 sterling - upon her return from London by the country's sport minister Fikile Mbalula, left. Semenya won the silver medal in the women's 800m final. The South African Sports Olympic Committee gave awards to all of the country's medal winners Rio mayor Eduardo Paes waved the flag, which is emblazoned with the five Olympic rings, as he and other officials disembarked from their flight back from London.

Mr Paes said it was an 'important moment' for Rio and the country as a whole.

'I see the arrival of this Olympic flag as not the start, but the consolidation of an important process of transformation for the city of Rio de Janeiro,' he said.

Looking ahead: Brazilian Olympic medal winners arrived in Rio de Janeiro bearing the Olympic flag from the London 2012 Games. Rio will host the 2016 Olympics 'Rio is a city that spent the lion's share of its history, much more time than it should have, looking towards the past. I'm sure that this process of transformation, this turning toward the future, has been consolidated here.'

By Kerry Mcdermott

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

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