This was published 12 years ago
Supermum Lassila a bronzed Aussie
Indeed, she had a jump with a degree of difficulty unmatched by any of her rivals and she just wasn't able to pull it off.
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Lydia Lassila tried to land a jump that no woman had ever attempted in competition en route to winning a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics.
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The 32-year-old had almost landed the quad-twisting triple somersault in training and shocked onlookers when she tried it again in her attempt to win back-to-back gold.
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The defending champion back-slapped her landing, but such was the degree of difficulty of the jump that she still won bronze.
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Lassila couldn't contain her emotion afterwards, breaking down in tears as she greeted her friends, family and fans.
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She sobbed on the shoulder of her husband, Lauri.
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There was also a kiss for him. Between Olympics, Lassila took a two-year break fom the sport to begin a family. They have a son.
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"I really feel like I've reached my potential," she said after the event, adding she'd first set out to do the trick 15 years ago.
"I saw the guys doing these amazing triples and I said `One day I'm going to do it' and 15 years later I did it."
Attribution: Not Supplied"I saw the guys doing these amazing triples and I said `One day I'm going to do it' and 15 years later I did it."
Lassila, who won gold in Vancouver four years ago, actually needed a second jump to move through to the final 12.
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She then progressed into the final four with the second best score.
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