Wiltshire gets first gold post box with Team GB's 26th gold (From This is Hampshire)

Wiltshire gets first gold post box with Team GB's 26th gold

12:52pm Saturday 11th August 2012 in News

WILTSHIRE is to get its first golden post box of the 2012 games - but you'll need to travel to the other side of the county to see it.

Bradford on Avon’s kayak king Ed McKeever scooped Team GB’s 26th gold medal of the 2012 Olympics Games in the K1 200m at Eton Dorney this morning (Saturday).

Former Bradford on Avon student McKeever, 28, dominated the kayak final with a winning time of 36.246 seconds adding the Olympic honour to his 2010 world and European titles.

This is the first time the K1 200m has been an Olympic event and McKeever beat silver medallist Spaniard Saul Craiotto Rivero and Canada’s Mark De Jonge who took bronze on the waters of Eton Dorney.

McKeever said: "I'm so happy. I feel relief. It sounds stupid but it's not elation - more relief and I'm so happy to do it front of a home crowd of 30,000 people. I woke up at 5am and I was like a kid at Christmas this morning waiting to open his presents. I get to open those presents soon.

"A hard wind made the race a bit longer. I wanted to focus on the first three strokes, I wanted to nail them and hopefully the rest sorted itself out which it did."

McKeever paid tribute to his coach and trainer as well his parents Derek and Janice and fiancée Anya.

McKeever’s success raised rousing cheers of celebration in his home town of Bradford on Avon with a big party being planned to commemorate the gold medal winner.

McKeever first took an interest in the sport when he joined the Bradford on Avon Rowing and Canoeing Club at the age of 12 and the town will soon have a golden post box to honour his achievement.

Bradford on Avon Mayor John Potter said: “It is absolutely brilliant, we put banners up last night to wish him good luck and now we’ll have to add some gold to them. It is absolutely brilliant for the town and now we have got to think about doing something special to honour Ed.

“They call him the Usain Bolt of Kayaking and he hasn’t disappointed. On behalf of Bradford on Avon I want to wish Ed a huge congratulations and I look forward to seeing the golden post box and the stamps of Ed.

"I think we might well have found someone to switch on our Christmas lights this year.”

Royal Mail said that they’ve yet to confirm which post box in the town will be painted gold to mark McKeever’s achievement but details are expected to be confirmed later today with painting likely to take place tomorrow or Monday.