VANCOUVER (Reuters) – The skating world praised the courage of Canadian Joannie Rochette following her near flawless display in the Olympic figure skating competition just two days after her mother’s death.

The six-times Canadian champion held her emotions in check for 170 incredible seconds on Tuesday to pull off the best short program of her life — earning a personal best 71.36 points.

It tucked her into third place behind South Korean Kim Yuna and Japan’s Mao Asada at the halfway point of the women’s event.

“Joannie getting up there and skating so fabulously was absolutely inspirational,” Frank Carroll, the coach of men’s Olympic champion Evan Lysacek, told reporters on Wednesday.

Yuna’s coach Brian Orser added: “There were a lot of heavy hearts in the rink and in the nation and I was just hoping that she would be able to feel the love and the support that was there for her and help carry her through.

“She felt it and I was really proud of her, she was amazing. I can’t imagine what it was like for her.”

In fact no one can imagine what the past three days have been like for Rochette as she tries balance the process of grieving for her mother, who died of a heart attack in Vancouver on Sunday, and winning an Olympic medal.

VANCOUVER, Feb 24 (Reuters) – The skating world praised the courage of Canadian Joannie Rochette following her near flawless display in the Olympic figure skating competition just two days after her mother’s death.

The six-times Canadian champion held her emotions in check for 170 incredible seconds on Tuesday to pull off the best short programme of her life — earning a personal best 71.36 points.

It tucked her into third place behind South Korean Kim Yuna and Japan’s Mao Asada at the halfway point of the women’s event.

“Joannie getting up there and skating so fabulously was absolutely inspirational,” Frank Carroll, the coach of men’s Olympic champion Evan Lysacek, told reporters on Wednesday.

Yuna’s coach Brian Orser added: “There were a lot of heavy hearts in the rink and in the nation and I was just hoping that she would be able to feel the love and the support that was there for her and help carry her through.

“She felt it and I was really proud of her, she was amazing. I can’t imagine what it was like for her.”

In fact no one can imagine what the past three days have been like for Rochette as she tries balance the process of grieving for her mother, who died of a heart attack in Vancouver on Sunday, and winning an Olympic medal.

VANCOUVER (Reuters) – A grieving Joannie Rochette held her nerve for three incredible minutes on Tuesday and dazzled the crowd with a short program that left her third at the halfway stage of the Olympic women’s figure skating event.

South Korean Kim Yuna led after a record-breaking display but it was Canadian Rochette who stole the show after dissolving into tears following a near faultless performance just two days after her mother’s sudden death.

“Words cannot describe (how I feel),” she said in a statement read by Skate Canada’s high performance director Mike Slipchuk.

“It’s hard to be precise but 10 years from now I’d want to come back and try this again — I have no regrets.

“(It was a) very nice warm welcome, hard to handle but I appreciate the support. I’ll remember this forever.”

The six-times Canadian champion had somehow managed to put on a brave face in public throughout the past 48 hours despite the personal torment she has been going through since her father broke the tragic news to her early on Sunday morning.

She brought a lump to everyone’s throat on Tuesday when she took to the ice looking remarkably composed and maintained that aura of calm during her sultry performance to La Cumparsita.

VANCOUVER (Reuters) – A grieving Joannie Rochette held her nerve for three incredible minutes on Tuesday and dazzled the crowd with a short program that left her third at the halfway stage of the Olympic ice skating competition.

South Korean Kim Yuna led after a record-breaking display but it was Canadian Rochette who stole the show after breaking down in tears on the ice just two days after her mother’s sudden death.

“Words cannot describe (how I feel),” she said in a statement read by Skate Canada’s high performance director Mike Slipchuk.

“It’s hard to be precise but 10 years from now I’d want to come back and try this again — I have no regrets.

“(It was a) very nice warm welcome, hard to handle but I appreciate the support. I’ll remember this forever.

The six-times Canadian champion had somehow managed to put on a brave face in public throughout the past 48 hours despite the personal torment she has been going through since her father broke the tragic news to her early on Sunday morning.

She brought a lump to everyone’s throat on Tuesday when she took to the ice looking remarkably composed and maintained that aura of calm during her sultry performance to La Cumparsita.

VANCOUVER (Reuters) – Canadian best friends Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir had roaring home fans leaping to their feet after ending 34 years of European domination to win the Olympic ice dance gold medal on Monday.

Virtue and Moir’s stirring performance to Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 raised the domed roof at the Pacific Coliseum when they were awarded a combined total of 221.57 points to beat Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White by 5.83.

Russian world champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin had been tipped as the favourites but after being bumped down to third place in Sunday’s original dance, they could not make up ground and had to settle for bronze with 207.64.

“This is the moment we dreamed of. It’s everything we dreamed of. We could not be happier,” a grinning Moir said as he caressed the shining piece of metal draped around his neck.

“I am going to wear it in the shower, I’m not taking it off all week long.”

As soon as they finished their mesmerizing routine with Moir down on his knees tenderly cradling Virtue’s smiling face in his hands, the 12,000 strong crowd erupted.

“Wow!” declared one banner while another proclaimed “Virtue(ly) Gold.”

VANCOUVER, Feb 22 (Reuters) – Canadian best friends Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir had roaring home fans leaping to their feet after ending 34 years of European domination to win the Olympic ice dance gold medal on Monday.

Virtue and Moir’s stirring performance to Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 raised the domed roof at the Pacific Coliseum when they were awarded a combined total of 221.57 points to beat Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White by 5.83.

Russian world champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin had been tipped as the favourites but after being bumped down to third place in Sunday’s original dance, they could not make up ground and had to settle for bronze with 207.64.

“This is the moment we dreamed of. It’s everything we dreamed of. We could not be happier,” a grinning Moir said as he caressed the shining piece of metal draped around his neck.

“I am going to wear it in the shower, I’m not taking it off all week long.”

As soon as they finished their mesmerising routine with Moir down on his knees tenderly cradling Virtue’s smiling face in his hands, the 12,000 strong crowd erupted.

“Wow!” declared one banner while another proclaimed “Virtue(ly) Gold”.

VANCOUVER (Reuters) – Joannie Rochette once again found solace in her white leather boots as she skated round the Olympic rings embedded under the ice in the Pacific Coliseum just a day after her mother’s sudden death.

The 40-minute training session seemed to provide the 24-year-old with a welcome distraction on Monday and she smiled several times during a run through of her program just a day before the women’s competition gets under way.

What the last 30 hours have been like for the Canadian sweetheart one can only imagine but on the ice, she was professional to the end as she executed soaring jumps and dizzying spins that drew nods of approval from her coach Manon Perron.

“Joannie is showing us the level of readiness that is required before a short program. You saw she was able to do all her jumps, everything is ready. I was really pleased to see that all the levels in the spins were there, there were no hesitations,” said Skate Canada president Benoit Lavoie.

“It’s one step at a time. We’re going to follow Joannie’s progress until tomorrow. It’s her decision but at this point I think it’s looking pretty good.”

The Canadian Olympic community have thrown a veil of protection around Rochette following the tragedy and although the skater is not expected to talk publicly until the end of the women’s event on Thursday, she has many people supporting her.

While she has a team of psychologists and other specialists at her disposal in the Athletes’ Village, where she has chosen to stay on, she has also been comforted by former synchronized swimmer Sylvie Frechette who knows only too well what Rochette is going through.

VANCOUVER (Reuters) – When Brian Orser first caught a glimpse of a gangly 15-year-old teenager called Kim Yuna, what he saw in front of him was a “blank canvas.”

With just a few brush strokes of his skating expertise, the twice Olympic silver medalist has turned Yuna into one of the world’s most talked about athletes.

“She was a little gangly and she didn’t have the confidence she has now,” Yuna’s Canadian coach Orser told reporters on Monday.

“But there was the raw talent, she had the speed and all the awesome jumps that you see. It was a blank canvas to decide where we were going to go. I just allowed her to blossom.”

The world will get to see just how far the 19-year-old has travelled on Tuesday when she begins her bid to become the first South Korean to win a Winter Olympics gold medal outside short track and speed skating.

In her penultimate training session at the Pacific Coliseum, the photogenic Yuna — one of the richest Olympians in Vancouver after banking more than $8 million in 2009 — cut a graceful figure as she dazzled her rivals with several triple-triple combinations during a run though of her free skate.

Dressed in a casual black top and leggings, she drew claps from Orser every time she landed one of her elegant jumps.

VANCOUVER, Feb 22 (Reuters) – When Brian Orser first caught a glimpse of a gangly 15-year-old teenager called Kim Yuna, what he saw in front of him was a “blank canvas”.

With just a few brush strokes of his skating expertise, the twice Olympic silver medallist has turned Yuna into one of the world’s most talked about athletes.

“She was a little gangly and she didn’t have the confidence she has now,” Yuna’s Canadian coach Orser told reporters on Monday.

“But there was the raw talent, she had the speed and all the awesome jumps that you see. It was a blank canvas to decide where we were going to go. I just allowed her to blossom.”

The world will get to see just how far the 19-year-old has travelled on Tuesday when she begins her bid to become the first South Korean to win a Winter Olympics gold medal outside short track and speed skating.

In her penultimate training session at the Pacific Coliseum, the photogenic Yuna — one of the richest Olympians in Vancouver after banking more than $8 million in 2009 — cut a graceful figure as she dazzled her rivals with several triple-triple combinations during a run though of her free skate.

Dressed in a casual black top and leggings, she drew claps from Orser every time she landed one of her elegant jumps.

VANCOUVER (Reuters) – Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir wowed the fans and judges with their sultry Flamenco moves on Sunday to upstage Russian favorites Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin in the Olympics ice dance event on Sunday.

Domnina and Shabalin were expected to steal the show with their infamous aboriginal dance and costume that had caused an uproar at the European championships last month but they were deemed only third best on the night in the original dance.

The Canadians, who are renowned for their inventive lifts and imaginative choreography, sent the crowd into a frenzy after scoring a mighty 68.41 for their original dance. They lead the field with a combined total of 111.15 points.

Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White also impressed with their hip-shaking Bollywood moves to slot into second place with 108.55 while world champions Domnina and Shabalin dropped from first to third with 106.60.

Virtue and Moir’s seductive performance raised hopes of Canada winning their first ever ice dance gold medal on Monday.

“We’re not going to start thinking about the gold medal now, it’s not about that. It’s so much more fun just to go out there and nail it like we have been,” Moir told reporters.

“When you’re in this rink that’s a moment we’ll never forget for the rest of our lives. I don’t think a piece of metal around my neck is going to make it any better.”