And the celebrations continue.
After 10-pin bowler Owen Sircombe's double gold rush at the recent World Summer Games in Shanghai, his supporters are still celebrating his successes.
Sircombe was the guest of honour at a special brunch held at Ngongotaha Community Hall yesterday, where around 100 invited guests dined on the49-year-old's international sporting triumph.
Mayor Kevin Winters was among those in attendance. In his brunch address, Winters paid tribute to Sircombe's remarkable achievement. "Coming back a world champion is not something many people achieve and to do it twice, it's fantastic. It's better than the All Blacks," Winters joked.
Head 10-pin bowling coach for the Special Olympics team Ian Baldwin worked with Sircombe for a year before the games. Baldwin told the Daily Post, "If all of my athletes were like him [Sircombe], then I would be out of a job. He's just a really nice man. He's coachable, he's a good team player. All the attributes you can ask of a sportsman."
Baldwin added: "He's done a lot of hard work for this. It's not just bowling."
Sircombe was humbled by the support. "It's a bit of a shock to see so many people here. People I have bowled with, friends, family and one of my cousins from Auckland has come down. It's made my day."
After a few weeks of relaxing and recovering from a cold he picked up during the competition, Sircombe is set to resume life as normal. "I am going back to work [at Countdown supermarket] on Thursday."
