US gives grand reception to women's World Cup champions
New York
Showered with confetti and cheered by thousands, the US women's World Cup-winning footballers made history Friday by being the first female sporting team to be honored with a New York ticker-tape parade.
The triumphant team members stood atop floats, waving to jubilant supporters, many of them young girls saluting last Sunday's stunning success over Japan in the final in Vancouver.
Vast clouds of confetti billowed down the stretch of Broadway known as the "Canyon of Heroes" -- jokingly renamed "Canyon of Heroines" for the day.
Wearing their medals, players blew kisses and waved to the crowd who responded with chants of "U-S-A, U-S-A!" to fete their heroes' record third World Cup title and first in 16 years.
The parade ended with dance and music outside City Hall, including a performance from hit musical "Fun Home" -- a lesbian coming of age tale -- that last month won the Tony Award for best musical.
There have been 206 ticker-tape parades in New York since 1886 but the soccer team are the first female athletes in more than 50 years and the first women's sporting team ever to be honored.
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