Holding up banners saying "aMaze" and chanting "golden Tina, golden Tina", the crowd cheered loudly as the 27-year-old Maze appeared on stage with her medals from Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Apart from the win in the giant slalom - Slovenia's first gold at a World Skiing Championships in 22 years and second overall - Maze also brought home a silver from the super combined event.
With the win Maze became Slovenia's top woman skier of all time, overtaking Mateja Svet, who is the only other Slovenian skier to have won gold at a world championship (slalom in Val d'Isere in 1989).
Maze paid tribute to Svet in her address to the crowd. "Mateja was my biggest idol and I try to use some of her ideas when I ski. She is an extraordinary person...I think she was the right role model for me."
Appearing on stage momentarily with Maze was IBF world welterweight boxing champion Dejan Zavec, who on Friday completed his third defence of the title by beating Paul Delgado of the US in a knockout in Ljubljana.
Maze also thanked a group of fans from her home town of Crna na Koroskem who joined her in Ljubljana after cheering her on in Garmisch-Partenrkirchen. "My fans are great. I ski faster whenever they're with me."
Apart from Maze, the crowd was also addressed by the head of Slovenia's Olympic Committee Janez Kocijancic, Education and Sports Minister Igor Luksic and Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Jankovic.
President of the Slovenian Ski Association Tomaz Lovse meanwhile told public broadcaster RTVSLO on the sidelines of the event that "Tina has showed us what we can achieve if we work hard and believe in ourselves".
Source: THE SLOVENIA TIMES
