Sara Takanashi has said that she was "surprised" by the warm welcome she received upon her return to Japan.

The 17-year-old was greeted by applause from people at the Narita airport when she arrived from a disappointing Winter Olympics campaign.

"I didn't expect to get such a reception from all those people," the Japan Times quotes her as saying. "I was surprised."

"The first word that came to mind was gratitude," she said on his experience in Sochi. "So many people were cheering me on.

"However, I failed to do my best and failed to get results, and now I feel deeply that what I did was inexcusable."

Takanashi finished fourth in the inaugural women's ski jumping event on Wednesday.