With medals in tow, Canadian athletes received a heroes’ welcome as they touched down on home soil following a 22-medal run at the Summer Games in Rio.

Early Tuesday morning, friends, family and strangers were on hand to greet the returning Olympians, including Penny Oleksiak and Rosie MacLennan, as their plane touched down at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

Canada won 22 medals, including four golds, at the Rio Olympics.

When the flights arrived, the returning athletes were saluted with giant arcs of water on the tarmac.

As fans cheered, star swimmer Penny Oleksiak signed autographs and greeted fans at the airport.

The 16-year-old swimmer was one of Canada’s breakout stars at the Rio Games, winning four medals, including one gold.

Dressed in a Canada jacket and wearing one of her medals, Oleksiak said she was really excited to be back home.

“I didn’t think it was going to be a crowd this big, but it’s pretty great … to have a lot of people here who have been supporting me this whole time,” Oleksiak told CTV News Channel at the airport.

Oleksiak said she really enjoyed being Canada’s flagbearer for Sunday’s closing ceremony in Rio.

“I got to meet a lot of athletes when I was backstage … holding the flag and getting to walk out and see everyone come up to you and take photos of you, saying that they were born in Canada or they’ve lived in Canada – it’s pretty great.”

Now that she’s back home in Toronto, Oleksiak said she wants to “sleep and try to catch up with some of my friends afterwards.”

Oleksiak will be hitting the books when she heads back to school in Toronto’s east end on Sept. 6. Starting in mid-September, she will also be back in the pool to train.

The Beach community in Toronto’s east-end will celebrate Oleksiak at a homecoming parade tentatively scheduled for Sunday.

Oleksiak, who said she enjoyed meeting other athletes, posed for photos with fellow Rio gold medallist Rosie MacLennan at the airport.

MacLennan, who was Canada’s flagbearer at the opening ceremony, said she was looking forward to putting her “feet up a little bit” now that’s she home.

One of the trampoline gymnast’s favourite memories from Rio was singing the national anthem with Team Canada just prior to the opening ceremony.

“That was an incredible moment because it’s a moment where so many dreams come true,” MacLennan said.

Other athletes returning from Rio said they are already thinking about the next competition, including the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.

“I’m excited to get back on the mats, get back to training,” said wrestler Erica Wiebe, who also won a gold medal in Rio.

Wiebe arrived at Ottawa International Airport Tuesday to a crowd of people holding signs and cheering her name.

Clutching a bouquet of roses, Wiebe told CTV News Channel: “Definitely look for me in 2020 – that’s my goal.”

Soccer player Jessie Fleming said she was proud of her team’s performance in Rio, which garnered them a bronze medal.

"We all had a good tournament and we definitely deserved to bring this home," Fleming said.

With files from The Canadian Press