Olympic medallist Richard Kilty was given a hero’s welcome by fellow aeroplane passengers as he returned to the North East on Sunday.
The Stockton lad returned from Tokyo after claiming a silver medal as part of the British men's 4x100m relay team.
Kilty, 31, ran an impressive third leg around the top bend and handed the baton to Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake - but Italy snatched the gold in the final metres.
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The Team GB quartet finished the race in 37.51 seconds but were pipped to the line by Italy by 0.01 seconds..
On Sunday night Kilty travelled back to the North East on a 7.20pm flight from Heathrow to Newcastle International Airport, before being met by his family at the arrival gates.
Leanne Beswick, from Ponteland, who sat in the row behind him for the flight, said: “He was in his Team GB outfit and he had his silver medal with him.
“Everyone was asking questions and congratulating him, there were lots of rounds of applause.
“At one point the flight attendant took his medal and walked up and down the aisle.
“He was given a free whisky by British Airways to enjoy as he happily took pictures with fans.”
Leanne added: “I asked him about the cardboard beds they had for athletes, and he said they were more sturdy than you would expect.
“When asked about the canteen he said it was 24 hours and he enjoyed sampling the local cuisine in Tokyo.
“He was a really nice guy, a real sportsman. He was so pleased that everybody shared his win.”
After the race Kilty, who is known as the Teesside Tornado, told the BBC: "After the heat we knew we had to pull it out, we had to give it everything. We were prepared to die and that's what we said. We're Olympic silver medallists, what more can we ask for?
"Last Olympics we finished fifth and we knew we were coming out here with no less than a medal.
"We went to win it, we were unlucky but this is unity, this is a team and we were in it together and we absolutely pulled it out as a quartet. In 20 years' time when we're old and retired we'll look back at this night as one of the best of our lives."
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