Men's world figure skating champion Jeffrey Buttle was greeted by a crowd of his family, friends and fans at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Monday afternoon, arriving on home soil for the first time since winning the title in Sweden on Saturday.

With the medal safely tucked away in his knapsack, Buttle stepped into the lobby at Terminal 1 and was almost immediately swarmed by reporters.

He stopped to give his mother Lesley a hug before telling the press he's now setting his sights on the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

"Two years ago when I decided to stay in for the Vancouver Games it wasn't a simple decision," he told CTV Toronto at the airport. "This is great motivation for me, knowing I am still in contention."

The 25-year-old native of Smooth Rock Falls, Ont. said he won't be taking too much time to celebrate -- he starts practicing for his Olympic skate in the next couple of days.

Buttle shocked the world when he captured the title, having gone into the event ranked at seventh place. He only recently returned to the ice following a painful back injury in 2006.

"You could say I was the dark horse going into the event," he said Monday. "To be able win the long and the short event... was huge. It wasn't just a fluke."

While he didn't attempt a revered quad jump Saturday night, he did land three flawless combinations and won by 14 points.

His perfect performance captivated commentators and surprised everyone, including the skater himself.

"It's unreal. I don't even know how to react," he said after his skate, telling reporters he left the ice unsure if he would even earn a medal, let alone win gold.

"I just went up there and skated my heart out and it paid off," he said Monday.

Buttle's parents watched his program in amazement from their Barrie home.

"He just wanted to skate his program clean," Lesley Buttle told CTV's Canada AM on Monday. "He told me before he left that he was going to do that and he did."

Buttle began skating at 2 year old, competing by age 6. He won the bronze medal in the 2006 Olympics and is the first Canadian the men's world championships since Elvis Stojko in 1997.

With a report from CTV Toronto's John Musselman