Triumph on Ice After Tragedy

Feb. 24, 2010— -- Just more than two days after learning of her mother's sudden death from a heart attack, Canada's Joannie Rochette took to the ice and turned in the figure skating performance of her life in the short program at the 2010 Olympic Games.

Even for a sport known for emotional performances, it was a deeply touching moment for the crowd. In Vancouver, they are calling the Montreal-area native" Canada's daughter."

Rochette, fighting back tears and with a trembling smile, skated onto the ice with her country and much of the world watching Tuesday night. Her program included a triple lutz, a double toe, and then a triple flip landed.

With her hand over her heart, she received a deafening standing ovation from the crowd, which had remained silent during her performance. Her routine was good enough for a third-place finish, putting her in the running for a medal when the competition concludes with the long program Thursday night.

Rochette's mother, Therese, died of a massive heart attack on Sunday, just a few hours after arriving with her husband in Vancouver to watch her daughter compete.

Norman Rochette found his 55-year-old wife passed out in the apartment where they were to stay during the games. He rushed his wife to Vancouver General Hospital, but it was too late. She was pronounced dead a short time later, so it fell to Norman Rochette to break the news to his daughter.

Joannie Rochette is the couple's only daughter and, as close friend Canadian speed skating medalist Nathalie Lambert said, "her mother was her closest friend, and also her number one fan."

Therese Rochette was the one to shuttle the figure skater back and forth to the rink when she was younger.

"Her mother was traveling here to see her live her Olympic moment," Lambert said.