Lydia Lassila wins bronze medal in ladies’ aerials at Sochi Olympics

IF THEY awarded Olympic medals for guts, they would have handed Lydia Lassila gold, silver and bronze in Sochi.

IF THEY awarded Olympic medals for guts, they would have handed Lydia Lassila the full set — gold, silver and bronze — at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

In an extraordinary performance at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, the defending Vancouver gold medallist snared bronze after taking an incredible risk on her last jump.

“I really went for it,” Lassila said shortly afterwards as huge warm tears streaked down her cheek.

“I’m sorry I’m crying but it’s joy, it’s happiness.”

In one of the boldest decisions ever seen by any Australian athlete at a Summer or Winter Olympics, Lassila decided to attempt the quad twisting triple somersault.

This is a jump so difficult it had never been so much as attempted in competition — let alone landed.

News_Image_File: Lydia Lassila makes her final jump.

But Lassila had nailed one in training this week and decided to give it crack.

“I was really an all or nothing approach,” she said as those tears just kept on rolling down.

“I had nothing to lose. It was just an amazing opportunity to be able to do that and to do it my way.”

Lassila could have won with a lesser jump in a final where the scores didn’t reach the heights of earlier rounds. But that’s not the Australian way. And it’s definitely not her way.

That’s not the attitude that enabled Steve Waugh hit a four for his century off the last ball of the day, and it’s not how this daughter of Greek and Italian migrants who is married to a Finn skied down on her mission to sporting history.

Well done @LydiaLassila -the best athletes are prepared to risk it all. Congrats to all. I'm loving @AUSOlympicTeam @sotchi2014

Lassila looked good in the air. She, almost made it, she really did.

But she back-slapped the snow, losing vital points, meaning she joined aerial skier Alisa Camplin with an Olympic bronze medal to go with her gold.

Do you think she was unhappy about that? Not a bit.

When asked whether she’d rather be remembered for her Vancouver gold four years earlier or for her audacious effort today, Lydia had not a flicker of doubt in her eye.

Thank you to @LydiaLassila for her courage, strength, sacrifices, drive & determination. A phenomenal athlete #respect @AUSOlympicTeam

“I’ve left my mark forever and made history with that trick. It would have been great to land it, but I was stretching for my life and I was really trying, believe me.

“I hope I’ve inspired some other athletes and in particular the female skiers to keep pushing on.”

This was a long, emotional day for Lassila. She started the day with a call to son Kai who is staying with her in-laws in Finland, where Lydia’s mother-in-law Leena said “he gave Mum a big speech on the phone, then a big kiss”.

News_Rich_Media: Australian medalist Lydia Lassila emotional after her Bronze medal effort.

Throughout the event, Lassila constantly mouthed the words “I love you Kai” to the TV cameras. She also repeatedly performed an exaggerated forehead-wiping gesture for the cameras as if to say “phew, I just got away with that one”.

Lassila fell on her first jump in the qualifying round. Already, her Olympics were on the line. But she landed a beauty to make the last 12.

She fell again in the practice session before the final, hurting her knee. She was hobbling after the event, unsure of the damage.

News_Rich_Media: All the over night action from the Sochi Winter Olympics

But Lassila pulled out her best two jumps of the evening in the round of 12, then again in the round of eight.

In both rounds, she scored second-highest when one less-than-perfect landing would have meant her Olympics were over.

Lydia qualified in second spot for the “super final” of just four skiers.

Back in Finland, Leena, experienced grandma that she is, had given Kai an afternoon nap to give him every chance of watching his Mum in the final.

And then the final jump. As mentioned, Lassila could have won with a much easier trick. But as she said, she wanted to leave a legacy to the sport much more than she wanted to leave Sochi with a gold medal in her luggage.

“These Olympics were really about me reaching my potential as an aerial skier,” she said.

“I really hope I’m remembered for the trick I did today and what I tried to do for the sport.”

That she will be. Lassila gave everybody something to remember and savour today, male or female, Finnish, Italian or Greek.

Belarus skier Alla Tsuper took gold while Chinese skier Xu Mengtao took silver.

Fellow Australians Sam Wells, Danielle Scott and Laura Peel came in 18th, 9th and 7th respectively.