GOTEBORG, Sweden - Jeff Buttle was doing a lot of blushing Sunday.
He was the centre of attention the day after winning world figure skating gold and the first 24 hours had been overwhelming, he said during an interview before getting back on the Scandinavium ice to close the exhibition gala.
"Everybody keeps calling me the world champion and I keep blushing at them,'' he said. "When they say that, I don't know how to react but I certainly like it, that's for sure.''
He didn't produce a four-revolution quad jump, but he landed eight triple jumps and dazzled the packed arena with footwork and spins that were superior to anything his rivals could muster.
"I was so happy with how I skated,'' he said. "When I finished my program, I wasn't thinking about the title.
"I just thought, like, `Oh, my gosh, I can't believe I just laid it down under that much pressure.' I was just really happy with that.''
There was instant reaction from back home.
"When I got back to my hotel room, I had 40 messages on my phone,'' he said. "I was bombarded by calls.''
There wasn't one from the prime minister, and he was glad for that.
"I would have felt terrible if the prime minister got my voicemail,'' he said.
He laughed.
He was laughing often Sunday.
Buttle's victory margin of nearly 14 points over runner-up Brian Joubert of France, the 2007 champion, was stunning, and he beat third-placed Johnny Weir of the United States by a whopping 23 points.
"It was a great win,'' he said. "It wasn't one of those questionable ones.''
He had a moment of temptation during his Saturday morning practice.
"I noticed the other guys were doing quads and I really wanted to do one myself but I said, `It's not in the program. Stick to your plan. Do what you do and do it well.'''
Buttle has been thrust into the spotlight less than two years before the Vancouver Olympics.
"I'm ready for it,'' he says. "I certainly don't take this title and think, `Okay, I've got it in the bag.'
"I certainly don't feel that way. All I can think is that I got this title without the quad. Think of what I could accomplish with it. So, I'll push myself in training and we'll just gain that much more focus. I definitely want to push the quad and have that in my repertoire. It'll make me even that more competitive.''
Buttle is in the cast for the 12-stop Stars On Ice tour of Canada that begins in Halifax on April 17 and meanders west.
"It's the big reward at the end of the season,'' he said. "All the hard training and competing and stuff is over and now I get to go have some fun and perform with friends and idols.''
Ready to renegotiate that Stars On Ice contract now that you've got a gold medal, Jeff?
"That, too,'' he said with a grin.
More laughter.
Besides his family, Buttle thanks coaches Lee Barkell of the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie and Raphael Artunian in California for helping him reach the top of the world podium.
"They've trained me, did everything they could, and then let me go do my thing,'' he said.
The 25-year-old world champion is returning home to Barrie and will celebrate with everyone at Mariposa. A lot of towns are claiming him today. His dad worked for Ontario Hydro and the job required hopping around. The family lived in Smooth Rock Falls, Kapuskasing, London, Timmins and Sudbury before settling in Barrie.
"Every one of those places I've lived offered me something in my skating,'' he says. "There were coaches that maybe weren't the most well-known coaches, but they instilled in me a love for the sport.''
Teammate Patrick Chan, who finished ninth, is doing some instilling of his own.
"For my first worlds, this is awesome,'' he said.
Chan has recently turned for coaching help to Don Laws, the American who coached Scott Hamilton to Olympic gold in 1984. Laws sees great potential in the 17-year-old Torontonian.
"He's good for two Olympics,'' said Laws. "Absolutely.''
First things first. Buttle and Chan will give Canada a strong 1-2 punch in men's singles in Vancouver.
