Tallinn turns out in force to welcome Kelly Sildaru home from Beijing 2022

Kelly Sildaru is quite simply an Estonian hero.

The freestyle skier, who turned 20 during Beijing 2022, won her country's one and only medal of the Games when she secured slopestyle bronze.

It was Estonia's first Winter Olympic medal since Vancouver 2010 when cross-country skier Kristina Šmigun-Vähi took silver to add to her two golds from Torino 2006.

So it was perhaps fitting that Sildaru was given a hero's welcome and celebratory reception in the nation's capital of Tallinn on Tuesday (22 February).

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas was among the dignitaries at the homecoming party in Rotermani quarter.

Sildaru was just 16 when she won the halfpipe title at the 2019 World Championships before taking slopestyle gold at the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games ahead of two-time Beijing gold medallist Ailing Eileen Gu.

But the Olympic Winter Games are a level above when it comes to national attention, and she was pleased with how her Olympic debut went.

"I think everyone has to experience it for themselves," Sildaru said via ERR News. "But the feeling is powerful, and I'm proud of myself."

And she was somewhat surprised at the scale of the turnout.

"I didn't expect anything. I thought it would be nice if there were about 10 or so people there, but in the end there were much more than that," Sildaru said.

"Since I'm a rather shy and modest person, it may have been a bit intimidating, but the reception was very warm."