Seven Olympians from the Beijing games were welcomed back to Oxford Brookes University this week.

Brookes might not be as world famous as the 'place down the road' when it comes to rowing.

But few educational institutions in Britain can have produced as many Olympic rowers as the university in Headington.

And Brookes's own magnificent seven, including gold medallist Steve Williams, returned to thank their old rowing coach and receive the City's Certificate of Honour from the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Susanna Pressel.

Students and pupils from the new Oxford Academy in Littlemore, which Brookes sponsors, were invited to join the celebrations on Monday.

Steve Williams won gold for the second time in the men’s coxless four, to join a select band of oarsmen to win gold in successive games.

Former Brookes students Alastair Heathcote, Alex Partridge and Tom Lucy won silver in the men’s eight, while Carla Ashford and Caroline O’Connor competed in the women’s eights and Richard Chambers in the men’s lightweight fours.

Steve Williams said: "Before I came to Brookes I had hardly won anything. From the time I was here, I've hardly stopped winning. When I came I didn't really know what I was doing with my rowing but I left an experienced and streetwise rower. I've always been very proud to call myself a Brookes boy. We are all proud of our roots."

Mr Williams, who lives in Henley, studied history and town planning at Brookes but managed to find time to train six days a week, often starting at 7am.

He said a turning point for him came when Brookes beat Oxford University for the first time in 1993.

The gold medallist said he had still not made his mind up whether he will be rowing at the World Championships in 2009 and in the 2012 London Olympics.

He said that he would make his decision by the beginning of January, when he would need to resume serious training.

During his visit he paid tribute to his mentor Richard Spratley, who transformed rowing at Brookes after being appointed rowing coach in 1991.

Within two years the club had had its first success at the Henley Royal Regatta.

Oxford Brookes head of sport, Keith Kelly, said: “To see former and recent Brookes rowers performing at the highest level in the world is fantastic.

"These guys are a real inspiration to our rowers in the current Brookes crews, many of whom are aiming to compete in London 2012.”

Vice-chancellor of Oxford Brookes, Professor Janet Beer, added: “We saw our rowers put in a superb performance in Beijing and we want to let them know how proud we are of their achievements."

Brookes is hoping to build on its Beijing success by launching an appeal to fund a £1.5m redevelopment of its rowing base at Cholsey.

Oxford Brookes student and member of the current Brookes rowing team, Steve Callaghan, said: “The Olympic rowers are such great role models for us and it gives us great motivation and inspiration. I’m hoping one day, with the dedication and will to win, that I could get there.”