Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette stood on the podium Thursday night, with a bronze medal around her neck and a crowd of 11,000 of her countrymen showering her with cheers. Yet, for Rochette, the moment she'd dreamt of since childhood was thoroughly bittersweet.
Four days earlier, Rochette's mother, Therese, died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 55. Therese had made the trip to Vancouver from Quebec to see her daughter skate in her first Winter Olympic Games — a dream they'd shared since Joannie was five.
"It was six in the morning when I heard the news," the 24-year-old Rochette told The Associated Press. "I couldn't really believe it. They took me to the hospital to see mom's body. I was able to say my goodbyes."
Despite Therese's untimely passing, Rochette decided to compete in the Olympics, and dedicate her efforts to her mother.
Two days later, Rochette delivered a courageous, heart-wrenching performance in the short program, earning a score of 71.36 — good for third place. Rochette held back tears as she executed her jumps and spins, before finally letting go as she skated off the ice.
She followed that up with a similarly strong performance in the free skate on Thursday, making just one noticeable error — a stumble on the landing of one of her jumps — to cement a bravely earned bronze medal. It was Canada's first figure skating prize since Liz Manley won bronze in 1988.
Although Rochette's skating efforts were overshadowed by the brilliance of South Korea's Kim Yu-Na, her determination and strength were unmatched.
"There were moments when I said to myself, 'I really don't want to do this. I want to take the first plane, go home, see my grandparents, my family.'" Rochette admitted. "But I said to myself that in 10 years time, when I would think about all of this and when my mourning would be over, I would probably have wished that I had skated here."
“I tried to be as cold as ice as possible. I know it's going to sound weird, but I couldn't be out there and be just a person, I had to be Joannie the athlete. I really tried to be strong to make my mother proud and my father who was in the stands."
Rochette concluded her free skate by blowing a kiss toward the heavens.
"This is for my mom," Rochette later said, holding the medal that would have made Therese immensely proud.
