A group of Team South Africa athletes, including swimmer Tatjana Smith and two relay sprinters, Bradley Nkoana and Bayanda Walaza arrived at the OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg, on Tuesday.

From early morning, fans, friends and families gathered at the airport to welcome back their heroes. They knew it took blood, sweat and tears to win the medals, and wanted to thank them for their efforts.

“Keep it up. Keep up the good work. I am very proud of you. You’ve done so well. It doesn’t matter if you win, you lose, come last, you come first, we’ll always be proud of you,” a fan said.

“It’s so encouraging. I love South Africa so much, that’s why when I had time off this morning, I decided to come through and support the guys,” another fan said.

--SABC--