Helen Glover, an Olympic rower for Great Britain, got the best welcome home greeting on Friday after returning from the Tokyo Olympics.
The special moment was captured on camera as Glover was greeted at the airport by her three children, Logan, 3, and one-year-old twins, Kit and Willow, whom she shares with her husband, Steve Backshall. She posted the touching moment on Instagram, captioning the video, “This feeling #runningcuddles #homesweethome.”
In the clip, Glover, 35, abandons her luggage cart as her kids run up to her. She immediately drops down to the floor to embrace her daughter and two sons into a warm embrace as they celebrate her homecoming from Tokyo.
Glover and her rowing partner, Polly Swann, 33, competed in the women's rowing pair finals on Wednesday, July 28. They did not medal in their event, coming in at fourth place.
The Olympic rower and mother-of-three shared multiple posts on social media to share her gratitude for the love and support she received during her performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, even if it didn’t pan out with a win.
On July 28, she shared a photo of herself and Swann during the event on Instagram, penning a heartfelt message in the caption for fans.
“Thank you all for your support and messages 🙏🏻 so SO proud to make the Olympic final and come home with a 4th place,” she wrote. “@pollyswanngb has been the most incredible teammate and you’ve all been the most amazing support. Thank you!! Now can we invent a teleport machine to get me straight home to the little ones??”
Shortly after, she shared a second post on Instagram to celebrate making it to the finals. She posted a photo of her three children surrounded by Union Jack decor along with a handwritten sign that read, “Good luck to Mummy + Polly.”
“Thanks so much for the lovely messages,” she wrote in the caption. “Just had a video call with my little tribe ❤️ can’t wait to be back with them.”
Glover’s participation in this year’s Olympic games was a massive comeback moment for the athlete. On July 12, Glover shared a post on Instagram shortly before heading to Tokyo for what would become her third Olympics. In the caption, she shared a personal message about what returning to the sport meant to her after taking a four-year-long break to start her family and raise her children.
“And we are off! A year ago I couldn’t have dreamt I’d be getting on the plane to Japan to compete in my 3rd Olympics,” she began the caption. “4 years out of the sport, 3 babies later and I’m getting on this flight thanks to so many people. My coaches, particularly Hamish and Robin, all the support staff and incredible team at @britishrowing and of course my formidable teammate @pollyswanngb.”
She went on to thank her family and fans for their love and support, specifically her husband, as well as her mom who supported her both “emotionally and practically.”
“The words of kindness and strength have made me smile, kept me motivated, and made me feel like although this started for Logan, Kit and Bo I’m finishing it with an army around me,” she concluded her touching, inspirational message. “Here we go! #Tokyo.”