NARITA (Chiba Pref.): Japanese Olympians returned home by air Monday night, a day after the Beijing Winter Olympics closed.

At Narita International Airport near Tokyo, an excited crowd greeted athletes including members of the Japanese women’s curling team, Loco Solare, which won silver in Sunday’s final.

The curlers took coronavirus tests and appeared at the arrival lobby nearly three hours after the landing of their flight.

Greeted with cheers, such as “Congratulations” and “Thanks for your hard work,” skipper Satsuki Fujisawa and other curling team members smiled and waved back, saying, “Thank you.”

Fans also cheered as speed skater Miho Takagi, captain of the Japanese athletes in Beijing, who won one gold and three silver medals, and figure skating star Yuzuru Hanyu showed up. They bowed politely.

At the Beijing Games, Japan gained 18 medals in total – three golds, six silvers and nine bronzes — its record high for Winter Olympics.

At a news conference in Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said that the athletes “have given many of us dreams and emotional excitement through their excellent performances.”

JIJI Press