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Armenian weightlifters received a hero’s welcome at Yerevan's Zvartnots Airport after returning from the European Championships held in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 12-20 February.

Armenia topped the medals table ahead of Bulgaria and Italy after winning a total of 11 gold, 7 silver and 8 bronze medals at the European Championships.

Hripsime Khurshudyan clinched the women’s 87kg bronze with a total lift of 227kg.

"I am happy with my results, as it was heroism for me to make a comeback at such an age after having two children. I’m glad that I was able to keep my promise to raise the Armenian flag. And no matter what color my medal is, winning it is already a heroism for me," the 36-year-old told reporters at the airport on Thursday.

When asked about her possible retirement, Khurshudyan said: "Now I can't say anything officially about the end of my career. We will decide with the coaches."

"We have the World Championships in December. I have quite serious injuries now. First of all, I need to recover from them and then if I feel I can claim a medal, I will go for it, and if not, the coaches will tell me what to do," she added.

The athlete took off her sneakers after the last attempt at the European Championships, kissed the barbell and thanked her fans, hinting at retirement.

"When I took off my sneakers, I thought that I had failed to win a medal. Mr Artashes [the head coach of the Armenian women's weightlifting team] did not have time to tell me that I became a bronze medalist," Khurshudyan said.