Golden girl Hannah Scott is 'a wonderful ambassador' for Coleraine as homecoming parade is held for Olympic hero

Hundreds of people lined the streets in the north coast sunshine to welcome the Team GB rower who secured the town's first ever gold medal in the quadruple sculls race in Paris.

Scott's return started with a meet and greet at Bann Rowing Club where she honed her skills, as well as a reunion with family members and friends.

The 25-year-old then walked up from Bann Rowing Club into the town centre, with members of the public passing on messages of support and clapping only the second woman from Northern Ireland to win an Olympic gold after Lady Mary Peters at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

Scott acknowledged that being in Coleraine when Alan Campbell and Richard and Peter Chambers returned home with Olympic medals from London 2012 was a real inspiration.

She said: "It's been so nice and I feel like all the support we get from home is really special.

"I feel like I'm really lucky in the sense that I feel the close community here.

"It's been nice to have all my family here as I haven't seen them all yet like my grandparents, so I'm happy to be here.

"I remember this day when it was in 2012 but I can't comprehend that it's this now.

"I feel like it has been quite crazy and London 2012 was special for me and what drove me to continue rowing and take it to the level I wanted to.

"I was really inspired by what happened before me."

Scott said that she wanted to enjoy the moment after her success and hasn’t ruled out competing at the next Olympic games in Los Angeles in 2028.

"It’s come full circle and I think I have to just take everything in the moment and accept this moment as one thing,” she added.

“I can’t believe that it has actually all happened.

“I’m very keen to continue with the sport, rowing is quite hard, so I’m going to take some time off for a little bit of a holiday.

"I'd still be keen on promoting rowing and keeping everyone active because it's taught me a lot in life and given me a lot of lessons.

"I think I would consider the next Olympics.

"It's a long old slog so I think I need to take one step at a time and enjoy this moment first.

"I love rowing and the sport, so I can't see why I wouldn't.”

Scott’s British crew sealed the quadruple sculls success by just 0.15 seconds ahead of the Netherlands after a pulsating and dramatic race.

When asked if she was always confident of getting the job done, Scott replied: "You can never be 100% certain because you never know what's going to happen.

"I think for me you have to have your belief which is really important but in terms of confidence, you have to be confident enough but you have to accept that you never know what's going to happen on the day.”

Bann Rowing Club will always hold a special place in Scott’s heart and she was quick to thank everyone involved for helping her become Olympic champion.

She continued: "I think it's taught me a lot with quite humble beginnings.

"That's been quite critical and pivotal in my sporting career.

"This is what I was expecting in terms of what the sport was but it gets better as you go along.

"Learn and start getting taught lessons at a young age about hard work and dedication.”

DUP MLA Maurice Bradley said Hannah’s achievements make her a “wonderful ambassador” for Coleraine and he had the same sense of pride at yesterday’s parade as he did back in 2012 for Campbell and the two Chambers brothers.

He said: It’s absolutely marvellous. It is a worthy reward for her parents unending support, her colleagues at Bann Rowing Club who nurtured her fledgling talent and her own dedication and hour upon hour of hard work and training that paid off in Gold.

“I always think it is marvellous when anyone from Northern Ireland does well in sport, but when it is someone from our own town, that makes it extra special. I had a lump the throat through sheer delight and pride.”