With the Royal Mile taken over by a sea of people – estimated to be 50,000 strong by the City of Edinburgh Council – it fell to triple gold winner Hoy to best sum up the experience. “For someone in a minority sport, to go from virtual obscurity to this is amazing,” the cyclist said.
As far as their cheerleaders were concerned, however, Scotland’s Olympians could not be congratulated enough. Whether crowded in shop doorways, waving from second-floor office windows or sitting high on postboxes, the people of Edinburgh felt compelled to turn up and show their adulation.
“They have made the whole country proud to be Scottish by what they did in China,” said Ben Reid, 31, a trainee teacher. “Athletes put in years of training for a single event, so it’s only right people get off their backsides and wish them all the best.”
She chose not to repeat the SNP’s calls for a separate Scottish Olympic team, instead insisting the entire nation should use the “Beijing bounce” to encourage future generations. She went on: “Their success was achieved in China, a country where Eric Liddell devoted much of his life.
“Each of these athletes are fitting successors. The Scottish Government’s overriding priority is to see an increase in sporting participation throughout Scotland. The success of our four medallists can only be a major influence on our young people and help inspire the heroes of tomorrow.”
Louise Martin, the Sportscotland chairwoman, said: “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.”
George Grubb, Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, congratulated Hoy, in particular, and said he could rightly be hailed as an ambassador for his home city. “Everyone in Edinburgh is immensely proud of him,” he said.
