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London's gold medal trio will lead Olympic parade
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard03.10.08
Gold medal winning Londoners Christine Ohuruogu, Rebecca Romero and canoeist Tim Brabants will lead a parade of Olympic and Paralympic athletes through the capital to celebrate their success in Beijing.
The 400metre runner from Newham, cyclist Romero, from Twickenham, and Brabants, from Chertsey, will be joined on 16 October by fellow Olympic champions swimmer Becky Adlington, sailor Ben Ainslie and cyclist Victoria Pendleton as well as Paralympic rower Tom Aggar.
Also taking part will be silver medal winner, triple jumper Phillips Idowu, from Hackney, as well as other members of Team GB.
Ohuruogu said: "It's great to come back from the Olympic Games and see how much Team GB's success has been enjoyed by the public. I am looking forward to celebrating with everyone in my home city of London."
Romero, who switched sports from rowing to cycling, took part in the parade after the last Olympics in which she won a silver in the quadruple sculls. She said: "I remember the excitement of the parade in 2004 after the Athens Olympic Games and this one will no doubt be even bigger and better!"
All the athletes who went to Beijing have been invited. They will set off on floats from Mansion House in the City at 11am. The journey will take them down Queen Victoria Street and past St Paul's Cathedral. They will head down Fleet Street, past the Royal Courts of Justice and along the Strand.
The first float is due to arrive in Trafalgar Square at around 12:30pm, when crowds are expected to gather to cheer on the teams, who have amassed the biggest medal haul for 100 years.
The athletes are due to assemble on the north terrace at 1.15pm, when crowds will hear interviews with the champions and relive the magic of Beijing on large screens .
Mayor Boris Johnson said: "Our athletes put in a brilliant performance in Beijing, bringing us all pride in their great achievement and renewing our confidence for 2012. The parade is the first time so many will have come together in public since Beijing, so let's give them a big thank you."
Reader views (5)
I care!! What our Olympic Team achieved was absolutely fantastic and I shall be there to support them. It's a great shame and symptomatic of the demise of this country that the "Who actually cares" brigade have no national pride.
- Gyles Culver, Henfield, UK
I suppose the taxpayer this "celebration".
Mind you this is for the athletes who actually have achieved something with our money and actually I feel a bit sorry for them because we should be looking forward to having an event like the Olympics in our country but seems the government are doing their best to ruin it be overspend and not delivering.
- Judy, Surrey
Who actually cares?
We have seen enough of these people now and know what a fraction of them have done with our money for THEMSELVES.
Most people I know hardly remember many of the medal winners and doubt others don't either.
- James, London
What a shame the Olympic parade is taking place this Thursday 16th and not 2 weeks later when most of the children would have been on Half term break. I would have loved to bring my children to London to see this event but will NOT take them out of school
- Mrs Margaret Witherden, Leighton Buzzard UK
And don't forget Pete Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge - both from Chiswick!
- Sculler, London, England
