Brave Rochette earns respect of a nation
Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette has been hailed for her heroic performance which put her on the road to an Olympic medal just two days after her mother's death.
The 24-year-old from Quebec pulled out her best short program ever on Wednesday (AEDT) to place her third behind South Korean star Kim Yu-Na and Japan's Mao Asada going into Thursday's free skate final.
The performance came just days after her mother Therese's sudden death from a heart attack after arriving in Vancouver.
Skate Canada team leader Michael Slipchuk paid tribute to the world silver medallist, who broke down in tears after her performance.
"What she did was truly remarkable and with poise and grace to put yourself in the battle for the podium," he said.
"I think the toughest day for her was yesterday. I don't think any of us knew what to expect. It was great from start to finish.
"She's always battling from the short program. Here she's nailed the short and heading into the long where she's been having good results this season.
"When she stepped out to skate she looked like Joannie the competitor."
Rochette was back at the Pacific Coliseum early Wednesday to practice her free skate to Saint-Saens' Samson and Delilah.
Slipchuk said: "This morning she seemed relaxed to me. She said to me 'I felt good'. She looked like it was more a normal day in between practice. She got her feet back on the ice."
He added that Rochette was still trying to have a normal Olympics, and would be staying for the closing ceremony.
"She's having some fun. We're trying to keep things light around her and keep the group around her small. It's going to be another exciting and emotional evening tomorrow.
"It's going to be a showdown. There's three of them, not just two."
Fellow Canadian Brian Orser, coach of rival Kim, said: "There were a lot of heavy hearts in the rink.
"I was just hoping that she would be able to feel the spirit and the love that was there for her. So many people around her and she felt that. I was very proud of her."
Canada's chef de mission Nathalie Lambert added: "What impressed me about Joannie was not only that she was strong, but that she handled it with grace and dignity.
"She's really good at coping with grief.
"The whole Olympic team is doing what it can to help make her dream a reality. This was a family dream to have her skate in Vancouver and she's living it."
Canadian skater Cynthia Phaneuf said she had been amazed by Rochette's skate.
"She skated like a computer. She didn't let her emotions get to her. That's how she needed to skate - she can't be distracted by emotions," she said.
"We should all skate like that. I was very sure she'd be able to skate clean and I'm sure she'll do it again [Thursday].
"I'm a very emotional person, so as a skater I'm always fighting with that."
US coach Frank Carroll, who led Evan Lysacek to the men's gold, said the audience had helped Rochette.
"The audience didn't try to drive her crazy, didn't give her a standing ovation when she stepped on the ice and that was great," the veteran coach said.
Rochette is bidding to become the first Canadian woman to stand on the Olympic podium since Elizabeth Manley took silver at the 1988 Calgary Games.
Favourite Kim is sitting first with 78.50 points and Asada 73.78.
Rochette scored a personal best 71.36 and will skate second last in Thursday's free skate.
