Rebecca Adlington awarded gold Jimmy Choos
Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington picked up two more golds yesterday, as her home town awarded her with a pair of golden Jimmy Choo shoes.
The 19-year-old became Britain's most successful Olympic swimmer in a century, when she collected double gold medals for the 400m and 800m freestyles in Beijing. She broke the world record for the 800m, which was perviously been swimmings longest running record, when it was set by Janet Evans 19 years ago.
Arriving back in Britain yesterday, alongside the rest of the Olympic team in a gold-tipped jumbo jet, Adlington returned to her hometown of Mansfield to a rapturous welcome.
Thousands took to the streets as she rode through he town aboard an open top bus, accompanied by her parents and two sisters.
Speaking at a press conference, the swimmer expressed her surprise. 'I wasn't expecting this. To come back with two gold medals is just amazing.
'I think the races have sunk in but I don't think the world record will sink in for a long long time. Mum and dad play the races over and over again and I say to dad that I've seen it,' she added.
At the press conference, the town's mayor Tony Egginton awarded the swimmer with a pair of gold Jimmy Choos, worth £460.
Thanking the town, she gushed, 'I loooove shoes. I want one pair for every outfit. I've got well over 30 pairs but you can never have enough.'
