When the Czech Republic's Štěpánka Hilgertová returned to Prague after winning the Olympic gold medal in the canoeing K-1 event at Sydney 2000 she celebrated by taking a bath in a tub filled with 160 bottles of champagne. It was Hilgertová's second consecutive gold medal, having also won at Atlanta 1996, and she was awarded a bonus of $24,000 by the Czech Government. "I would compete even if there was no bonus," she said. "First, I like winning and second, like any woman, I am vain and I like to be the centre of attention."