Lydia Lassila epitomises what the Olympics are all about. Faced with adversity and disappointment, in the words of the famous song, picking yourself up and brushing yourself down and starting all over again.
It was fantastic to see her take gold. It has been fantastic to see Australia have their best Winter Olympics to date.
What was extra special was when the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called her to congratulate her; she was already fighting for her fellow aerial skiers asking for a water ramp to help them train in Australia.
Spare a thought though for second placed Li Nina from China, who was pipped by Lassila for the gold medal. Her jump looked excellent, and many who know more about aerial skiing say it was better than Lassila’s. Did the emotion of her comeback affect the judges in any way? Or was it the criticism of the judging in the qualifiers? Maybe one did, but hopefully Li Nina will be back and claim gold in four years time and Lassila’s comeback was worthy of gold.
Finally let us also remember Jacqui Cooper a master at the sport who like the great pole vaulter Sergei Bubka, has dominated her sport and been a trailblazer, but will retire without an Olympic medal. As much as that may be personally disappointing you will never be forgotten.
