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Its the pinnacle of many athletes sporting careers and celebrated by their followers and compatriots with great gusto -- the result of hard work, dedication and sacrifice, sometimes for years on end.But what happens after an Olympian strikes gold for the first time, the parties with team-mates at the home of the Games have ended, and theyve returned to the world they left to compete in the greatest show on earth?From a total of 59 British athletes who took home gold medals from Rio (including all team members awarded the honour), from 27 events, 40 of them did so for the first time. As Britain prepared to celebrate the brilliance in Brazil of Team GB, ESPN spoke to six of them.Jack Laugher, divingGold: 3m platform synchronised; Silver: 3m platform individualWhat a difference four years makes. Laugher left London 2012 in tears, having gone out of the individual 3m springboard event in the first round after a series of errors. Since then, he has emerged from the shadows of Tom Daley and, after winning Britains first diving gold with Chris Mears in the synchronised event in Rio, made himself arguably the nations most popular diver. The spotlight on Laugher, from Leeds, has intensified greatly and there have even been marriage proposals on social media. So, has Games gold changed the 21-year-old?Nearly every aspect of my life has changed since winning gold. Im still the same, but it has been weird -- a lot different to what I was used to, Laugher said. The three days I was home before I went on holiday were absolutely crazy. We had media 12 hours a day and covered the country.I was lucky to get away to Spain for two weeks with my girlfriend. It was a time for us to escape from it all. I needed that relaxation to settle myself.Im not training at the moment and its really hard coming off the back of the Olympics. Me and Chris werent expected to win, so coming home and having people recognise you in the street, in shops, is surreal.It almost happened overnight and was so amazing while we were in Brazil, so the comedown is difficult to deal with. I havent been myself really, a bit all over the place. Ive not had to, but I have sat down with my sports psychologist, who I see regularly through the year, and talked to her about how Ive been feeling.Im enjoying the fact that Im an Olympic gold medallist, and no-one can ever take that away from me. But I had dreamed about doing that since I was seven years old, so Im sat here thinking: now what? It will be difficult I think until I start back into the full routine of diving again in November.Im used to training for five hours a day, and the more time Ive got to sit around doing nothing is not very good for me. Its not depression, thats a serious mental illness and Ive known people with that, its a bit of post-Olympic blues and a lot of people get it.Winning gold was probably one of the major moments of my life and brought more emotion than Ive felt in such a short period of time -- it was something I wasnt prepared for.Its nice being recognised but it takes a bit of getting used to. There have been marriage proposals and theyre funny to see. Some of the comments on social media are a bit different, to say the least, but I put myself out there, and like to post pictures. Its pretty cool to have such a large following.Hollie Webb, hockeyGold: womens team eventWebb scored the winning penalty in the Olympic final shootout against The Netherlands and has enjoyed the glow from Britains first gold medal in womens hockey. But the theme which defined the victorious team was about spreading the word on the game they love, getting more people to play. What impact has Games success had on the 26-year-old from Derby and that ambition?My life at home has been pretty normal, but we have all been extremely busy, she said. We have been going into loads of schools and clubs, stuff we did some of before, but it has been crazy.You take your medal everywhere and anyone who sees it goes into shock a little bit, which is a bit weird. There has been media work and some really nice things like helping out at charities, going to dinners, and we can help a lot more now in those areas.Im getting an honorary degree from the University of Derby, Im switching on the Christmas lights in my local town, Belper, and getting the freedom of Amber Valley borough. Belper has a giant Mr Potato Head statue -- it was donated years ago -- and they decorated that with the Olympic rings and golden hockey stick. Thats quite cool.Whats quite nice is that no-one recognises you unless you have your medal with you, so you can be normal still. We havent had time really to think about things too much, either, and we will be back to training soon -- the beginning of November -- and focusing on Tokyo.Some girls have gone back to their clubs but Ive had some time away and Im fresh and raring to go. I want to go and do it all over again. My targets havent changed, but the gold has made me even hungrier because it was such an amazing experience.Hannah Mills, sailingGold: womens 470After claiming silver at London 2012, Mills and Saskia Clark went one better in Rio, but were made to wait for their medals. Having made the final round with an unassailable read, weather conditions prevented them from finishing the job for a day. There was relief at getting it done and Mills has kept busy since to avoid any post-Olympic blues, but what does her future hold?I dont get recognised on the street like other medallists might, so I wouldnt classify myself as a celebrity, Mills said. Ive attended a number of sailing events and I get recognised there, young kids come up to me and ask for my autograph and like to wear my medal. Its amazing to meet all the sailors who were inspired by what we did in Rio.Straight after [winning] was a bit of a whirlwind with lots of people wanting to interview us and get us on their show, but this has settled down a little now. I have been more in demand, and find it hard to say no. The number of schools and sailing clubs wanting me to come and talk is overwhelming.It is of course part of what winning is all about -- sharing it with everyone back home, inspiring the kids at schools and using the success to hopefully create more success. I only say no when I have to and always feel guilty about it.I dont know what the future holds; however, I hope that winning gold will give me the opportunity to help others have dreams and goals, particularly young people.Matt Langridge and Paul Bennett, rowingGold: Mens eight mens Britains rowers have become accustomed to going home from Olympic Games with glittering prizes and Rio was no different, with Team GB winning five events. The nation had not won the mens eight since 1990, but they romped to the finish line in the final and found themselves in the unexpected position of just protecting their lead after they got in front. Team sports such as rowing dont always make stars of individuals from within, so how have 33-year-old Langridge -- a silver and bronze medal winner previously -- and Bennett, 27, found life after Rio?LangridgeWe had a good week after the racing to enjoy the other events and the many parties there were. After being so disciplined, thats the bit youre not prepared for and its almost harder than competing!Weve had a parade in Henley, where lots of rowers are based, and my own one in my hometown of Northwich, which was a bit surreal. You realise what you did meant to other people.There have been nice things like hospitality and going on the pitch at England and Liverpool matches. There have also been speaking engagements, dinners, corporate days, but its all a bit of a blur because its been so busy.In between times, you try to see friends and family after missing so many birthdays and weddings over the last four years. There are times when I think Id like a couple of days in the same place but I know eventually the bubble will burst, and Im trying to make the most of everything thats happening.I know you do get the post-Olympic blues, its natural. Its taken me 16 years to win gold, but after Beijing and London I got the blues quicker, that loss feeling as you look for your next challenge and work out what you do for the rest of your life.Rowing wont set you up for life, even with a gold medal, and Im 33 so Im using this period to see what other opportunities there are out there.BennettAs a part of a team, Ive been lucky in as that Ive been able to pick and choose how busy Ive been. Its probably not like being Nicola Adams [the double Olympic boxing champion] -- if we get a request it can be one of eight of us who does it.The charity work and stuff with kids has been amazing. Theyre keen to talk to you about what its like and how you got there, which takes a bit of getting used to; my perspective was that I was bobbing along doing this sport that not a load of people cared about, but was important to me.Suddenly everyone is interested in the journey and the dramatic change is surreal. Because youre an Olympian, people think your opinion is well worth listening to. I have confidence now in my opinions on rowing as a result.I went to a charity event and met people like Lindsay Lohan, John Bishop -- that was probably the highest profile event. But its not like Im going out on the street and people are throwing their bras at me! Its more been about spreading the gold excitement through people I knew pre-Olympics.Giles Scott, sailingGold: Finn classHaving finally taken the place of Ben Ainslie in the class both sailors have competed in, Scott, 29, has not given himself much time for reflection after Rio. Not big on social media or a celebrity type, he had a plan to keep himself busy whether he won gold or not, and hes stuck to it.I dont feel my life has changed much at all, Scott said. Ive rolled straight into my next project with Ben Ainslies Americas Cup team [Land Rover BAR] after a week and a half off.Ive done a few events, handed out prizes at regional regattas, which was a great chance to digest what I managed to do in Rio and how people saw it.It wouldnt take long for me to get a bit itchy and have the blues settling in, but Ive been able to completely shift my focus on to the next challenge.Maybe I havent had enough time to reflect. Every day that passes I find myself thinking a little differently, and it already feels like a long time ago, but Im really happy with where I am. Its pretty hard not to be when youve got a gold medal in your sock drawer and a cool project to get on with. Cheap Shoes Australia Free Shipping . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Cheap Nike Shoes Australia . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. https://www.shoesaustraliaonline.com/ . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Clearance Shoes Australia .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans. Clearance Shoes Australia . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Miami used a first-half surge to deny Florida Atlantic a second consecutive upset win.Davon Reed scored 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting and tied his career high by making 5 of 9 3-pointers to lead the Hurricanes to a 76-56 victory over the Owls on Friday night.Miami and Florida Atlantic played their first game after a 10-day layoff for fall semester final exams. Before the break, the visiting Owls defeated Ohio State 79-77, on Dec. 6.We know not to underestimate any opponent, Reed said. They handled business at Ohio State. Me personally I wasnt necessarily worried about that. I was just worried about coming in and taking care of business against FAU.Miami (8-2) took the lead for good after a 12-2 run during a 4:36 stretch midway through the first half. Anthony Lawrence keyed the surge with two 3-pointers. Lawrences second 3 with 8:05 remaining capped the spurt and increased the Hurricanes lead to 20-12.Bruce Browns layup with 1:03 to go gave Miami its largest advantage of the first half at 39-22. Reed converted 3 of 4 3-pointers in the Hurricanes dominant first half.My teammates just found me and I was able to knock some down early, Reed said. I was feeling pretty good from the beginning.Brown scored 14 points and finished with eight rebounds. Lawrence finished with 13 points and made all three of his 3-pointers.The Hurricanes limited Florida Atlantic (3-6) to 3 of 17 from 3-point range after the Owls converted 10 from behind the arc against Ohio State.The key was getting back defensively and defending the 3, Miami coach Jim Larranaga said.dddddddddddd That was a point of emphasis and I thought the guys did a great job there.Marcus Neely scored 12 points and Adonis Filer finished with 11 points for the Owls.Coming in, on tape watching, I thought this was going to be the best defensive team that we will face all season, Florida Atlantic coach Michael Curry said. They were really good defensively.Once they score and get a lead its tough to come back on them because they smother you.BIG PICTUREMiami: Kamari Murphy finished with 10 rebounds despite missing 11 minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. Murphy has double figure rebounds in four of his last six games.Florida Atlantic: The Owls scored a season-low 24 points in the first half. Florida Atlantics previous low was 27 in its 64-63 loss against Hawaii on Nov. 14.COURT SLIPPAGEPlayers slipped on several occasions during the game. Watsco Center hosted Miamis fall graduation ceremony on Thursday. You clean it but there is still that residue that remains, Larranaga said of the playing surface. You have to clean it several times. Hopefully that wont happen again.MINUTES HIGHNeely played a season-high 21 minutes against the Hurricanes. The fifth-year senior also tied a season-high six rebounds.UP NEXTMiami: The Hurricanes will host George Washington on Dec. 22.Florida Atlantic: The Owls begin a four-game home stand on Dec. 21, when they host Webber International. ' ' '