Canada's Olympians were greeted by cheering fans and throngs of media as they touched down on home turf Monday.
A large crowd of young and old alike serenaded soccer star Christine Sinclair as she arrived in Vancouver, a day after carrying Canada's flag in the London Games closing ceremony.
"We wanted, heading into this tournament, [to] leave the sport in a better place than when we'd gone into it," she said. "I could never have imagined this] strong show of support] would have come."
Across the country, Sinclair's teammate Diana Matheson, who scored the dramatic winning goal in Canada's bronze-medal victory over France, also received a hero's welcome when she arrived at Toronto's Pearson Airport.
"I think right now we're going home to sleep for a week," said Matheson.
Canada's only gold medallist was also greeted by adoring fans in Toronto.
Trampolinist Rosie MacLennan, proudly wearing her medal around her neck, said her Olympic success has brought a lot of attention to her sport.
"Now everybody knows my name," said the 23-year-old MacLennan, whose saw her Twitter followers explode from 900 to more than 14,000 after the big win.
In Montreal, Canadian Olympic athletes made a triumphant return to Trudeau airport as friends and family belted out the national anthem.
The delegation included a number of bronze medallists - divers Jennifer Abel, Emilie Heymans, Roseline Filion, Meaghan Benfeito, and judoka AntoineValois Fortier were all present.
Jubliant fans were ecstatic about Sinclair's arrival in Vancouver.
"We love you, Christine!" shouted one young female admirer.
"She's our captain! She's our captain!" others chanted.
Sinclair said the bronze medal reaffirms her desire to go for gold again at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
"I'm not retiring," said Sinclair. "I don't think any of us are retiring."
The 29-year-old Burnaby native said she would keep playing until at least the 2015 Women's World Cup, which Canada is hosting, and likely stay on for another year for the Rio Games.
Soccer players Karina LeBlanc and Emily Zurrer also arrived in Vancouver on Monday as did silver-medal winning rower Krista Guloien and weightlifter Christine Girard, who won a bronze medal in London.
While Sinclair was sure about her future, others were pondering theirs.
"I'm looking forward," said star kayaker Adam van Koeverden, who won silver in London. "I don't know that I'm done."
If van Koeverden does decide to retire, he will go out on a high note. The 30-yearold Burlington, Ont., native ranks as Canada's all-time top paddler with four Olympic medals.
But the camaraderie with other kayakers is what he cherishes most.
"It's cool," he said of his medal, "but it's not the reason I do this. It's not why I get up early in the morning and get on the water."
