Crowds of fans in the Town Hall Square chanted "Thank you, thank you" as the 15-year-old arrived wearing her gold medal. Soon afterwards she was congratulated by Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė who expressed delight over the fact that "Lithuania has produced a new generation of young athletes."
Meilutytė said she was honored by all the attention she had after arriving in Lithuania. She also stressed she would never change her citizenship despite the fact that she lives and trains in the UK where her father works.
"It's an honor for me that so many people support me," the young swimmer said in an interview to the Lithuanian Television.
"I don’t think your citizenship should depend on the training location. I went to England for training but I have always been and will be a Lithuanian," the gold medalist stressed.
