26. August 2008  
Croatia  
Artistic Gymnastics

Croatian medalists receive warm welcome in home towns

Filip Ude (CRO, left) won the first Olympic medal for his country

Croatia's two Olympic medalists received warm welcome on their respective home towns soon after their return from Beijing.
Nearly 3,000 people gathered in the central square of the northern Croatian town of Cakovec to welcome the best Croatian gymnast, Filip Ude, who won a silver medal in the men's pommel horse in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the Croatian state news agency HINA reported.
Addressing the people who gathered to welcome him back to his home town, Ude thanked his mother, sisters and coaches in an emotionally-charged speech.
A program with popular music bands and folklore ensembles was performed in his honor. The town of Cakovec and Medjimurje County have decided to award Ude with a flat. The 22-year-old Ude is the first Croatian gymnastic Olympic medalist since Croatia gained its independence in 1991 from the former Yugoslavia.
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