Olympic hero Joannie Rochette finally arrived home Monday to a throng of proud, cheering fans and a family eager and ready to help her grieve the death of her mother.
A welcoming party of more than 150 fans, including two busloads of people from Berthierville, Que., were on hand in Montreal to see the Olympic star and other Quebec athletes return from Vancouver.
The ever-growing crowd, wearing Canada Olympic gear and waving flags, gave Rochette a roaring welcome.
"Today, I'm extremely proud of the battle I won in Vancouver," an emotional Rochette told the crowd, her eyes glistening with tears.
"I left having in mind I was going to war, to win a battle."
"That battle was obviously tougher than expected," she said, adding she was also proud to be the first Quebec figure skater to win a medal during the Vancouver Games.
Against the tragic backdrop of losing her mother just days before she was to compete, the 24-year-old from Île Dupas, Que., finished with a bronze medal.
Therese Rochette died of a heart attack soon after arriving in Vancouver. She was 55.
Rochette said she drew inspiration from many people around the world who rallied around her during a stressful and trying time, including her fellow Canadian athletes and people she'd never met before.
"Today I want to say that yes, I lost someone very important in my life, but she lives through me," Rochette said of her mother. "I know she'd want me to smile right now and enjoy this Olympic moment and it has taken a lot of strength to separate the athlete from the person, but I really want to do this so that 10 years from now, I can look back and say 'I did this fully.'"
Rochette said her mother was always discreet and reserved and raised her away from the media spotlight. In keeping with her wishes, she hoped to grieve in private over the coming week.
She also said she had doubts about carrying the Canadian flag at the closing ceremonies because a bronze medal seemed unworthy of the honour but accepted it with enthusiasm.
Rochette thanked her father and her coach for keeping her focused on the ice in the past week.
"I've been blessed with an incredible amount of love, empathy and affection," Rochette said.
"It really helped me, thank you."
She said she looks forward to getting back to competing in a few weeks and touring in the spring with Stars on Ice.
Among the other athletes on the flight with her was Olympic gold medallist snowboarder Jasey-Jay Anderson, who spoke about Rochette instead of his own feat.
"I congratulate her for overcoming the challenge she faced," Anderson said. "A great athlete is capable of overcoming any challenge and Joannie proved that she is a great, great athlete.
"In a way, my career just ended, I'm really nostalgic right now," said Anderson. "Obviously my heart goes out to Joannie and her family. She's a tremendous athlete, tremendous human being. Honestly that's what takes precedent right now."
Rochette said she was looking forward to being with family, with the people she loves. Among the family members at the airport was Rochette's grandmother, who was anxious to see her only granddaughter.
"I thought she skated really well," said Antoinette Laroche just before Rochette's arrival at Trudeau International Airport.
Laroche said she was proud of Rochette because getting on the ice under the circumstances was difficult.
"She cried and she was sad but I was really proud of her because she continued on and if she hadn't she would have regretted it," Laroche said.
She said she knew exactly what she would tell Joannie when she saw her for the first time.
"I'm going to tell her that I'm really happy she continued on and that I love her," Laroche said.
Louis-Pierre Helie, 24, a member of Canada's alpine ski team, was hoping to say hello to his childhood friend Rochette as he awaited a flight to Norway.
The two grew up together in rural Quebec and he remembered his childhood friend as tough and competitive.
"It's a big tragedy, I talked to all my friends and she showed huge courage, she's a hero now," Helie said. "To do what she did, she stepped it up a lot."
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
She is one strong woman...my deepest sympathies u got gold in my eyes!
Leaving behind a thank-you note from NBC
Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor
After tonight's broadcast and after looting our hotel mini-bars, we're going to try to brave the blizzard and fly east to home and hearth, and to do laundry well into next week. Before we leave this thoroughly polite country, the polite thing to do is leave behind a thank-you note.
Thank you, Canada:
For being such good hosts.
For your unfailing courtesy.
For your (mostly) beautiful weather.
For scheduling no more than 60 percent of your float plane departures at the exact moment when I was trying to say something on television.
For not seeming to mind the occasional (or constant) good-natured mimicry of your accents.
For your unique TV commercials -- for companies like Tim Hortons -- which made us laugh and cry.
For securing this massive event without choking security, and without publicly displaying a single automatic weapon.
For having the best garment design and logo-wear of the games -- you've made wearing your name a cool thing to do.
For the sportsmanship we saw most of your athletes display.
For not honking your horns. I didn't hear one car horn in 15 days -- which also means none of my fellow New Yorkers rented cars while visiting.
For making us aware of how many of you have been watching NBC all these years.
For having the good taste to have an anchorman named Brian Williams on your CTV network, who turns out to be such a nice guy.
For the body scans at the airport which make pat-downs and cavity searches unnecessary.
For designing those really cool LED Olympic rings in the harbor, which turned to gold when your athletes won one.
For always saying nice things about the United States...when you know we're listening.
For sharing Joannie Rochette with us.
For reminding some of us we used to be a more civil society.
Mostly, for welcoming the world with such ease and making lasting friends with all of us.
Not sure if it is from NBC, but its pretty nice thoughts....