Mary Peters won the gold medal at the 1972 Munich OlympicsEvents have been taking place in Belfast to celebrate 40 years since Dame Mary Peters won her gold medal in the 1972 Olympic Games.
In a surprise ceremony at Belfast City Airport, Flybe have unveiled an aircraft named after the 73-year-old.
Well-known Olympic medallists are also due to attend a celebratory evening at Belfast Grand Opera House later.
Dame Kelly Holmes, Denise Lewis and Sir Steve Redgrave are among those expected to attend.
Dame Mary won gold in the Women's Pentathlon at the Munich Games.
The aircraft tribute features a life-size image of the athlete, pictured standing on the podium after the medal ceremony.
The picture was originally taken by her father on 3rd September 1972.
Alongside the image is the name of the aircraft, the Dame Mary Peters.
Hours of practice
The medallist was born in 1939 in Halewood near Liverpool.
Her father travelled to Northern Ireland every week for work and soon the family moved to live in Portadown, County Armagh.
Her athletic potential was spotted by the headmaster at Portadown College.
"He just had this amazing charisma that he could see the best in all of his pupils and he gave me the chance to pursue my athletics," she said.
Her talents were honed through hours of practice at the Belfast track which now bears her name.
"I used to have to get two buses into Belfast city centre and then another to the track carrying my shot, which weighed four kilos, and my starting blocks," she added.
"The track was full of potholes. It wasn't the ideal place to come but it was the only place we had."
The track is currently undergoing an upgrade which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012.
Mary competed in three Olympic Games and five Commonwealth games, her first when she was 18 years old.
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Orignal From: Mary Peters' gold is remembered
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