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She won a bronze medal for Canada tonight in figure skating.
Poor girl lost her mother only a few days ago. The lady had a heart attack shortly after arriving in Vancouver to watch her daughter.
Way to go Joannie, we love you.
Story:
Poor girl lost her mother only a few days ago. The lady had a heart attack shortly after arriving in Vancouver to watch her daughter.
Way to go Joannie, we love you.
Story:
Joannie Rochette wins bronze while Kim Yu-Na wins gold in Olympic figure skating
Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press
1 hour, 13 minutes ago
VANCOUVER - Canadian Joannie Rochette's courage has been rewarded with a bronze medal in figure skating at the Olympic Games.
Reigning world champion Kim Yu-Na of South Korea won gold Thursday with a world record score that left all the other skaters in her tracks.
But Rochette was also the big winner on the night, climbing onto the podium just days after her mother's death due to a heart attack.
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"That's what my mother would have wanted me to do," Rochette said of her decision to compete. "That's how she raised me. She was always by my side. She was my biggest fan."
At the end of the skate, she raised both arms skyward.
She said later her legs were shaking and she had low energy. But towards the end of the performance, "I thanked my mother for the strength she gave me to do this."
It's the first medal by a Canadian in Olympic women's singles since Elizabeth Manley in 1988.
Kim, coached by Canadian Brian Orser, led after the short program. And she upped her total to 228.56 points after an athletic, elegant free skate performance to Concerto in F by George Gershwin.
Skating just before Rochette, Mao Asada of Japan moved into second with 205.5.
Performing to "Samson and Delilah" by Charles Camille Saint-Saens, Rochette had a couple of mishaps on the night. She stepped out of the landing on a triple flip and opted not to do a second double Axel in a combination.
The 24-year-old from Ile-Dupas, Que., finished with 202.64.
Canadian chef de mission Nathalie Lambert called it an extraordinary performance.
"Tonight she's happy," said Lambert. "But these Games will always be associated with something extremely sad. But at least with an ending that puts a little balm on the wound."
The red-and-white clad crowd at the Pacific Coliseum that included her father, boyfriend and ice dancer Guillaume Gfeller, and the entire Canadian figure skating team, held its collective breath for the emotional four-minute program, then rose with deafening applause for the gutsy skater.
"I don't know about owning the podium, but I think we own the world's hearts tonight," said Canadian Olympic Committee CEO Chris Rudge. "That young girl performed on a level that is beyond comprehension."
"And I guess at this point you'd have to think that's the story of the Games," added Rudge.
The crowd erupted again when a smiling Rochette was presented with her bronze medal on the podium. She waved to the crowd and then struggled to hold back her emotions.
Cynthia Phaneuf of Contrecoeur, Que., finished 12th after a shaky long program to "Mission Cleopatra." The 22-year-old fell on her triple Lutz, then popped a triple Salchow and double Axel, scoring 156.62 total points.
Amidst her swirling emotions, Rochette had been rock-solid on the ice all week. She put in a brilliant performance in Tuesday's short program — where she often falters and has to play catchup. That program landed her in third place, a mere two points behind Asada and seven behind Kim.
The Canadian skater has received an outpouring of support from across the country and the sporting world.
Katarina Witt, the women's gold medallist at the 1988 Games in Calgary, was there to see the performance Thursday.
"Actually I am speechless because I thought they all skated incredibly and memorably," said the German. "And to see how strong Joannie came out, you know … my heart just went to her."
Former U.S. speedskating star Dan Jansen, who lost his sister Jane to leukemia during the Calgary Olympics, sent Rochette a message: "Skate with your mother in your heart."
IOC president Jacques Rogge sent his well wishes, telling reporters, "A bronze or even better would be nice, it is never going to be a consolation but I totally respect her decision (to compete) and I admire her courage."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his congratulations after skate, calling it a "moving and inspirational medal-winning performance.''
''Her commitment and dedication to her sport under these exceptionally difficult circumstances has touched the hearts of all Canadians," he said.
At an event to honour Olympic moms at Canada Olympic House on Wednesday, dozens of Olympic moms past and present observed a moment of silence in honour of Therese Rochette.
Rochette, who was fifth at the Turin Olympics four years ago, arrived in Vancouver as the reigning world silver medallist but on the heels of a frustrating few months. She'd struggled under the weight of expectations and demands that come with being a medal favourite in a home Olympics, and her confidence had taken a beating before she managed to turn her season around with a strong performance at the Canadian championships.
Her dad Normand, a youth hockey coach, was the first to introduce his daughter to skating at the age of four, and it was her mom who took over the driving duties until Rochette was forced to leave Ile-Dupas, a tiny town of just over 600 people which sits midway between Montreal and Quebec City on the St. Lawrence River, at the age of 13 to train with Manon Perron in Trois Rivieres.
She quickly rose up the ranks, winning the Canadian novice and junior titles in back-to-back years. She captured bronze in her senior national debut, and claimed her first Canadian crown in 2005.
