When Radhika, 16, walked out two hours late and jumped with excitement on seeing her tiny cousin from Muscat, shyness gripped Simran. She turned her back on Radhika's extended hands, and the winsome swimmer would have to wait, till Simran's reserve melted, for the promised kiss.

Surely, each of the 103 special children (slow learners and mentally handicapped) who returned last night will have similar scenes to relive.

The entire Gandhi clan from Andheri turned out to receive Sandeep, who won a gold in 100mfreestyle swimming. The joy on his mother's face would help Sandeep wipe out memories of the two gold medals he could have added to his kitty.

Sandeep lost out on both occasions because he did not touch the finishing board, despite enjoying a clean lead. ``We thought, at first, that he had not won any medals, but he called home after he won and exclaimed excitedly to my mother, `I've won a medal'.''

The Khandelwal family from Lower Parel was also in full attendance to receive youngest daughter Niketa, who had a bronze in basketball to boast. ``Lovely,'' was Niketa's response when mother Roopa inquired about her stay.

She proudly presented her `brother' from the trip, Amit, a footballer from Kolhapur. So what if Amit did not win any medal, he had found a friend in Niketa.

There were no parents to welcome Mangal Patil, who was abandoned when she was 12. But the superintendent from her Mankhurd Home, Prabha Iyer, made up for the void by giving her a tight squeeze.

India's largest-ever contingent forthe Special Olympics returned with 25 gold, 45 silver and 37 bronze, and assistant chef de mission Vijay Kant described the trip as a huge success. All participants were welcomed with a garland.

In the absence of sprinter Ashwini Nachappa, the chef de mission who returned home early, Kant, national director of Special Olympics India (SOI), addressed reporters: ``The chief gainers are the children. Their self-worth has increased considerably, they can now say, `I am somebody.' They went to an alien culture and returned winners.''

Kant said the philosophy of Special Olympics prevented him from stating India's medals standing among the 150 participating countries. ``We do not count placements of individual countries or states. The aim is to recognise and foster individual talent,'' he said, highlighting an unwritten rule of the movement started by the Joseph P Kennedy Jr Foundation.

The Indian community in Charlotte turned out in droves to cheer the contingent, added Kant. ``The Indian crowd was thenoisiest, and our children made many friends,'' he said.

The performance of the handball team, that lost by a last-minute goal to Brazil in the final, came in for special mention. ``The basketball team and the spikers also performed beyond expectation,'' Kant added.

The Association for Welfare of Persons with a Mental Handicap in Maharashtra (AWMH), which was responsible for bringing the Special Olympics movement to India, had 18 representations. The state squad won four gold, seven silver and six bronze medals, cyclist Jehangir Ghandy topping the roster with a gold and silver.