Slovenian Olympic Medallists Greeted at Ljubljana Airport
Brnik, 20 February - Slovenian Olympic medallists Peter Prevc, Teja Gregorin and Vesna Fabjan as well as the ice hockey team arrived early on Thursday at Ljubljana's airport, to be greeted by several hundred sport fans for what is the biggest Olympic success for the country so far.
Brnik
Biathlete Teja Gregorin, cross-country skier Vesna Fabjan and ski jumper Peter Prevc showing their Olympic medals after arriving at the Ljubljana airport from Sochi.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
The airplane bringing the Slovenian athletes from Russia's Sochi touched down just after midnight, bringing home silver and bronze ski jumping medallist Prevc, bronze biathlon medallist Gregorin and bronze cross-country medallist Fabjan.
Also on board were the men's national hockey team, who played their first Olympic tournament ever, managing to qualify for the quarter-finals with historic wins against Slovakia and Austria.
Despite the late arrival and rainy weather, the athletes were greeted by hundreds of fans at Jože Pučnik Ljubljana Airport, including ice-hockey aficionados from the north-western town of Jesenice.
Prevc said at an impromptu press conference at the airport that he was driven by adrenaline and the team spirit among Slovenian ski jumpers. "Only together we can be stronger," he said.
Ice hockey team captain Tomaž Razingar said that all the players breathed as one, adding that they had proved they belonged to the Olympics and that they more than decently represented Slovenia in Sochi.
Slovenia's most successful athlete in Sochi, the double Alpine skiing gold medallist Tina Maze, is still in Sochi, preparing for Friday's slalom.