Olympic gold medalist bobsledder and Buffalo native Steve Mesler's plane from Charlotte,

N.C., touched down about an hour late Monday evening at Buffalo Niagara International

Airport.

That only served to heighten the anticipation of family, friends and fans that gathered in

the airport's concourse with signs and banners welcoming Mesler home for a week that's

scheduled to be chock full of appearances by Mesler — and his new shiny gold Olympic

medal.

Wrapped in white cheesecloth and tucked away in his pocket during his flight home, Mesler

revealed the medal attached to the distinctive Vancouver 2010 blue ribbon.

Etched with the Olympic rings, event and the abstract art that made these medals "one-of-a-

kind," the golden luster that reflected from the medal when Mesler unwrapped it attracted

eyeballs from concourse passersby and security officers as well.

The 31-year-old Mesler beamed with pride as he passed the winning medal around, calling it

"a championship for Buffalo."

"I grew up though the four Super Bowls and the "No Goal,' I grew up with that," said

Mesler, who now splits time between Calgary and Florida. "I missed the "Fog Game' [of the 1975

Stanley Cup Finals], but my dad was at that game."

Mesler is one of four members of "The Night Train" bobsled piloted by Steve Holcomb. The

victory was the first for the United States in four-man bobsled since 1948.

It was Mesler's third Winter Olympic Games. He finished sixth in the 2006 games in Torino

and was an alternate to the 2002 squad in Salt Lake City.

Mesler is expected to be given a hero's welcome this week by Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown

at City Hall. He'll be dropping the puck at Wednesday's Sabres' home game against the Dallas

Stars, then appearing at a party in his honor Thursday at Pearl Street Grill & Brewery.

Friday, he'll visit his high school alma mater, City Honors. Mesler graduated in 1996

before going on to graduate with honors in 2000 from the University of Florida.

Since winning the medal Feb. 27 aboard USA-1 in the four-man bobsled, Mesler participated

in the closing ceremony the next evening before going on what he called "a whirlwind tour"

last week that saw him visit NBC's "Today" show twice.

His bobsled team performed the "Top Ten" on David Letterman's show in New York City last

Thursday. The tour also took them to center ice at Madison Square Garden where they received a

standing ovation at a New York Rangers game.

Last weekend, he was in Atlanta for NASCAR races that saw Todd Bodine drive a special No.

30 "Night Train Tundra" as tribute to the gold medal bobsledders.

Mesler said he hasn't had too much time to relax and let the victory "sink in." Nor has he

made any plans for the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.

"I'm just going to enjoy this for a while," Mesler said. "I'm not looking down the road for

the first time in my life."

Mesler, as many athletes agree, said seeing the United States flag raised and hearing the

national anthem played for the gold medal winners is highly emotional.

"I thought I was going to be up there crying like a little girl," Mesler said.

After the bobsled event concluded, he said the crew was quickly ushered from the track to a

news conference and then on to the podium for the medals presentation.

"It's so surreal and it's happening so quickly," he said.

Ben and Lois Mesler, Steve's parents, hustled up to greet their son in embrace as he

emerged through a door into the concourse of the airport. Lois, still with a cast on her right

wrist — she broke it during a fall at the Whistler Sliding Centre — said she still

gets "choked up" thinking about her son's Olympic success.

"This is his dream come true," she said.