Joannie Rochette reflects on her brave bronze at Vancouver 2010, 15 years later

“On one hand, it feels like it was just yesterday. But on the other hand, I realize how much time has passed.” 

It has indeed been 15 years since Joannie Rochette was at the centre of one of the most compelling stories in Olympic history at Vancouver 2010. Her composure as she experienced an incredibly devastating life event at the same time that she was pursuing the perfect climax to her athletic career was nothing short of remarkable. 

“Vancouver was definitely a tough one for me. There were many great moments with the Canadian team, but losing my mom just two days before my competition really put a damper on everything. That said, I was so lucky to be in Canada, surrounded by people who cared for me. Despite that, I still have good memories,” Rochette recalled in January just after her induction to Skate Canada’s Hall of Fame. 

“We celebrated the 10-year anniversary with all the athletes [in 2020], and that helped soothe my heart, being able to share that moment, in a more peaceful state of mind.”

By the time the women’s figure skating competition was set to begin during the second week of Vancouver 2010, Team Canada as a whole was enjoying unprecedented success and the home fans were not shy about showing their Canadian pride.

Rochette had arrived at her second Olympic Games as another strong medal hopeful for the host nation. After all, she was the reigning world silver medallist. She had also established herself as a skater capable of combining difficult technical elements with an artistry appreciated by fans and judges alike. 

But whatever Rochette had envisioned was forever changed when early in the morning of February 21, 2010, her father, Normand, had to deliver the heartbreaking news that her mother, Thérèse, had passed away suddenly after suffering a heart attack just hours after arriving in Vancouver. She was only 55 years old. 

It was just two days before Rochette was to compete on Olympic ice in the women’s short program. 

Well supported by her longtime coach, Manon Perron, Rochette showed up to an official practice session that afternoon, intent on doing the job she went to Vancouver to do, but under circumstances that one could never prepare for. 

Just 48 hours later, Rochette stepped out in front of a full house at Pacific Coliseum. The more than 15,000 fans in attendance didn’t even wait for her name to be announced to let her know with their cheers and applause that they were behind her. 

After her usual hand taps with Perron, Rochette took her place at centre ice. In the few seconds before her music began, you could hear a pin drop. Everyone shared the same anticipation: how would she perform in front of a world watching her grieve? 

The answer: impeccably. 

For many of us, the images and sounds from that short program are ingrained in our memories. The roar from the crowd when Rochette landed her opening triple-triple combo. Everyone clapping along as her tango music picked up pace. The confident way in which she executed all her elements. The smile she struck in her final pose quickly crumbling as her emotions broke through. Tears falling from her eyes throughout her bow and then her sobs as she skated into a full embrace from Perron in the kiss and cry. 

Her score would make no difference as to how her courage and performance would be remembered. But the judges recognized what she had done by awarding her a personal best, putting her in third place heading into the free skate two days later.

In what would end up being her final competitive performance, Rochette most certainly made her mother proud. She blew a kiss to the heavens as she skated off the ice to find out she was going to be an Olympic bronze medallist. 

Fifteen years later, Rochette reflected on how time can be a strange thing. 

“When I saw the little video today for the induction, it brought back so many great memories with Manon. It’s like every time I come back into the world of figure skating, I see the same faces. Nothing’s changed, we hug, and it’s like time stands still.” 

But many things have changed for Rochette, who earned her degree in medicine from McGill University in 2020 and is now enrolled in the anesthesiology residency program at the Université de Montréal. 

“I’m now in another career, living a different life, but it’s always so nice to come back, reflect on everything we’ve accomplished, and celebrate.”

As someone who has experienced all the highs and lows that can come with the Olympic Games, Rochette offers up this advice to athletes who are hoping to compete at Milano Cortina 2026 one year from now. 

“I remember my first Games; it felt like being a kid in a candy store. It was just so exciting. I hope they’re able to enjoy the experience and simply be happy to be there. Because yes, there’s always pressure for results and performance, but beyond that, they need to remember why they started skating, what they love about the sport.

“They must not lose that spark, that passion that got them into this journey in the first place. It’s easy to get lost in the pressure of an Olympic year, but the key is to stay in the present moment and fully experience this adventure. That’s what I wish for them from the bottom of my heart.”