This year’s Winter Olympics has been the year of wipeouts; in alpine skiing, half pike, short track and figure skating. But it’s not the crashes that get the attention, it’s the determination of the athlete to get back up and finish the race. No one showed that determination better than Canadian’s figure skater Joannie Rachette. Going into the games, Rochette was a medal favorite. But on Sunday, people began to wonder if she took the crash of a lifetime.
On Saturday night, Rochette father, Normand, found his wife Therese unresponsive in their rented Vancouver apartment the night after they flew in to watch their daughter compete in her second Olympics. The Vancouver hospital later pronounced her death was caused by cardiac arrest. Therese was 55. Upon the news of her mother’s death, which Rochette was close to, her participation in Tuesday night’s short program was questionable.
The next day, Rochette stunned the world by getting up and going to her practice session the next day, showing her intention to compete. Last night in the short program, Rochette skated a personal best, which was good enough to place her in third going into the free skate. After her program, the tears followed from the 24 year-old skater. Putting her personal tragedy behind her, Rochette showed the world what it meant to be an Olympic Champion.
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