Botswana gave a rapturous welcome to Letsile Tebogo on Tuesday as the sprinter returned home with the southern African country's first ever Olympic gold medal.
Families with children, elderly people and young supporters waved Botswana's sky blue, white and black national flag as the Olympic team landed back in the capital Gaborone.
Hundreds of supporters had gathered at the small airport, benefiting from an impromptu half-day holiday declared by President Mokgweetsi Masisi to celebrate Tebogo's success.
Before greeting the athletes, Masisi danced on the tarmac as an aide held an umbrella to shelter him from the sun. Outside, traditional dancers wearing animal skins and beads kicked off a welcoming ceremony. "Tebogo has made history not only for Botswana but in Africa," he later told a crowd of more than 20,000 people that packed the city's national stadium as part of the celebrations.