ANDY MURRAY was credited with inspiring Team GB's greatest overseas Olympic Games as a squad of triumphant athletes arrived home from Rio on a gold-nosed Boeing 747.

Flying home on a chartered British Airways flight – BA2016 – the team were shown singing God Save The Queen ahead of take-off – with BA providing 77 extra bottles of champagne on a special plane, emblazoned with 'victoRIOus' – and also took the opportunity to post selfies from the cockpit.

Having exceeded their haul from the London Games, Great Britain brought back 67 medals from Brazil as a large number of athletes arrived at Heathrow on Tuesday morning to be greeted by friends, family and hoards of supporters.

Double gold-medallist Max Whitlock tried out some of his gymnastics routine on the first-class seats and he and champion boxer Nicola Adams were the first two stars to emerge from the plane, standing at the top of the stairs as the rest of the athletes filed out to cheers and applause.

Although both were absent on Tuesday, Team GB chef de mission Mark England was full of praise for Murray and golfer Justin Rose, revealing how a rousing speech from Murray on the eve of the Games had spurred the team to go on to glory.

England said: "We had some very, very high-profile athletes in the team in a way that we hadn't necessarily had before.

"Justin Rose is a good example of that and Andy Murray was defending his title from London. Andy was the flag-bearer and spoke to all of the team before the opening ceremony, spoke really eloquently about being part of Team GB and the importance of everybody doing everything they could to replicate London.

"Justin has been absolutely outstanding, not only in the support of the Great Britain Olympic team but of golf in the Olympics as well, and to have athletes of that stature in addition to athletes who have medalled in five consecutive games and others defending titles, which they did absolutely successfully, was a very powerful thing."

Adam Peaty began Great Britain's record medal rush and is now hoping his achievements can continue to build Team GB's growing legacy.

Peaty, who broke the 100m breaststroke world-record twice on his way to securing Team GB's first medal in Rio as he sealed the gold, is hoping for a chance to replicate the achievements of a host of medal winners who became instant household names following 2012.

"Sport is a massively powerful thing," he said.

"There is no language barrier and I can shake the hand with China and Russia, athletes that don't speak any English, but it doesn't matter. I hope people look at how I've got into the Games and want to get involved."

Likewise, Dina Asher-Smith was just 16 when the likes of Jessica Ennis-Hill and Mo Farah took gold in London.

But she returned from Rio with a bronze in the women's 4x100m relay and is now looking to become an inspiration.

"Personally I hope I can inspire somebody," she said.

"Four years ago I was a box-carrier at 2012 and I was lucky enough to be track-side on Super Saturday to see Jess, Greg [Rutherford] and Mo win their golds which inspired me.

"Four years later, somehow I became an Olympic medallist, so if I could inspire one person to turn up at the track, or take up sport or try a bit harder at training I'd be over the moon because sport, and the power of us and what we do, relies on national interest."

Someone who did not need to be inspired by the achievements of 2012 was rower Katherine Grainger, who took her first Olympic gold four years ago.

The 40-year-old sealed silver this time around to take her overall Olympic medal tally to five and she wants the recent successes to have an uplifting effect on the country.

"How do you compare events? How do you compare athletes? How do you compare success? It is almost impossible to say," she said.

"The lovely thing is that the London Games were undoubtedly a huge inspiration for the nation and we all thought it could not be replicated, it will never happen again and was a once in a lifetime moment.

"It has been a tough year for the country, there has been a lot happen politically in the nation over last few months and I think the nice thing about sport is that it united people and lifts people and for a short while at least you can have some good news stories."