The queue snaked around Rio’s Galeão airport yesterday. They were tired, happy, and maybe a little emotional, and so many of them had something to declare too.
Brazil promised the most colourful Games ever, and the predominant colour was gold, silver and bronze for red, white and blue. This sporting carnival had samba style and plenty of British pomp and circumstance.
It was a Games of firsts for Team GB - and not just on the field of play.
There were first gold medals in diving, gymnastics, golf and women’s hockey.
Sir Bradley Wiggins became the first Olympian to win eight medals with his farewell and dramatic team pursuit gold and Laura Trott became the first woman to win four golds.
Katherine Grainger was the first woman to win five medals, the Brownlee brothers the first British siblings to win gold and silver in the same event and Nicola Adams the first to retain a boxing title since Harry Mallin in 1920.
And there are more too - but becoming the first nation to have bettered their medal tally at the Games after hosting is the stand-out statistic.
Not first on the medal table mind, just second – giddying new heights of achievement.
Soon to be home on a gold-tipped British Airways plane renamed VictoRIOus, they’ll be some time to enjoy this moment, with homecoming parades to enjoy and parties to plan but - there’s only 1430 days to Tokyo.
The British Olympic Association have already been on three reconnaissance trips to Japan and next month hope to finalise the deal for their all-important preparation camp.
Some of the class of 2016 will move on but this is not an ageing team. Swimmer Adam Peaty is just 21, Jade Jones is a double Olympic taekwondo champion at 24, and there are many others.
Besides, Nick Skelton was still winning gold in Rio, aged 58.
And there’s already evidence of some impressive succession planning to give cause for optimism. Sir Chris Hoy retired after London with his legacy secure - six golds, one silver. Jason Kenny came along in Rio and simply equalled it.
"Tokyo will be tougher than Rio," said British Olympic Association chief executive Bill Sweeney.
"At Tokyo the domestic team will be much stronger than here, and the Chinese team will be desperate to make a strong statement in Tokyo on their doorstep and they’ve got a young and developing squad in Rio.
"And Australia won't lie down, they'll come back stronger. There'll be a full Russian delegation there too. It'll be a very tough Games, more of a level playing ground.
“It will be tough to repeat but the general feeling is we can carry on this success.”
Team GB were fourth on the medal table in Beijing, third in London and second here in Rio.
They’ve also improved their medal performance in five consecutive Games, from the low of just one gold in Atlanta to Rio, this success story is certainly not an overnight one.
They are now an established ‘sporting superpower’, according to UK Sport chief executive Liz Nicholl, whose organisation has distributed over £300m in funding since 2012.
Planning and preparation remain at the heart of success and National Lottery funding, administered by UK Sport, is integral.
And the work has already started, with 40 percent of the money spent in the last four years already targeted at athletes who are working towards Tokyo.
“This is a bigger achievement that London,” said Mark England, Team GB’s chef de mission.
“The collective team effort has been outstanding, we have had so many firsts, so many greatest ever performances.”
“We are in that powerhouse bracket now and going into Tokyo will be really tough, but we are confident.”
Sportsbeat 2016