Sochi profile #3: Aerial skier Lydia Lassila

LYDIA Lassila's two-year-old son Kai spends so much time with his grandparents that he already speaks four languages.

WHEN Australia's aerial skiing gold medallist Lydia Lassila defends her Olympic title next week, she'll have her husband Lauri along for support but will leave her son in Finland with her mother-in-law Leena.

But don't feel sorry for young Kai Lassila.

The little boy is incredibly close to all four of his grandparents and often stays with them during his mum's frequent travels to compete on the World Cup circuit.

With such a strong multicultural heritage, little Kai is already fluent in three languages - English, Italian and Greek - and he's getting pretty handy at Finnish too.

He's also a skilful skier and a young gourmet who enjoys a traditional bowl of creamy Finnish salmon soup as much as a piece of Vegemite toast.

All that at the tender age of two-and-a-half.

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Lydia Lassila became a mum 18 months after winning gold in Vancouver. She arrives in Sochi today for what will likely be her last Olympic campaign, while her mother-in-law Leena minds Kai in Finland.

Don't think the doting grandmother is unhappy about it, either.

"He is a marvellous kid who is so at his home wherever he is," Leena says.

"He loves Australian living but he also enjoys rolling in the snow and doing what the Finnish kids do."

Lydia Lassila performs a jump to win the gold medal during the World Cup freestyle aerials competition in Quebec in January.

"I know that sometimes he misses his mum and dad, but he's doesn't cry. He knows they always come back."

The bigger question is whether Lydia Lassila can come back and retain her Olympic crown. If she does, it would be something no Australian Winter Olympian has ever achieved.

Lassila's form in recent weeks has been a real mixed bag.

She finished 22nd at an event in the USA, won an event in Canada, then slipped to 22nd again at her most recent event.

That's Lydia: all the tricks in the bag and not afraid to show them, even if some days they go horribly wrong.

But despite her love of bringing out big, risky jumps like her quad-twisting triple somersault in the biggest events, Lydia actually says she's mellowed as both a skier and a person. And parenthood has played a big part in that.

"I like to be able to do things perfectly, but when you've got a two-year-old you can't do that," she says.

"Parenthood has taught me patience.

"I'm a workhorse and I've always believed that if I train hard I'm going to get what I want. But that's not necessarily the case. It's not how much sweat you pour into something but about being choosy where and when you train and what types of jumps you do.

"I'm much smarter now. Because I've had significant injuries, I can't train harder because my body won't allow me to do it, and my brain as well.

As any parent knows, your brainpower is significantly eroded with kids around. That's why Lassila is so lucky to have two sets of grandparents busting to help with Kai.

If she wins a medal in Sochi, she should probably give it to them and let them fight over it.