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Kyle Shewfelt arrived home last night to a changed Canada.
While the Calgary gymnast is the same driven perfectionist who left for Greece and won the gold medal in floor exercise, the respect and admiration his country is now giving him is different.
The 22-year-old has long been a celebrity in the Calgary gymnastics scene but, suddenly, he's a national hero, punctuated by the mass celebration upon arriving home from Athens last night.
"I'm shaking right now," said Shewfelt, who was met at the airport by some 150 people, including his parents, Nola and Wes, and girlfriend Melissa Mitzner.
"I never thought it would be me in this position. I'm so happy to be home. I think I'll be lot busier of a guy the next few weeks, but I'm smiling a lot right now."
In his drive to the Olympics, Shewfelt knew his life would change if he reached his ultimate goal -- the first podium finish by a Canadian artistic gymnast.
His gold was just a bonus and now Shewfelt will be a role model for all Canadian gymnasts.
"I really looked up to all of Canada's great athletes growing up but, for me, I really wanted this bad," he said.
"I want to be the one kids get that feeling from, too."
Shewfelt and Melissa will spend the next week or so away from Calgary as Shewfelt considers his future.
In the past few weeks, he has hinted at retirement.
But if he re-sumes training, it will be without Kelly Manjak, who has resigned from the Altadore Gymnastics Club to instruct in Toronto.
Mentor and student have been together since Shewfelt was six and Shewfelt was the best man at Manjak's recent wedding.
For now, the 5-ft.-4, 135-lb. Canadian team captain is focusing on his Athens achievement.
"I want to get away for a week with my girlfriend and just relax," Shewfelt said. "I've never had a real vacation because I've always been competing."
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind for Shewfelt, who won gold, took a call from Prime Minister Paul Martin, returned to compete for vault and then was robbed of a second medal.
"I don't want the vault to overshadow the gold," he said. "I want everybody to know I went there for gold and I got the result I wanted."