Figure skater Joannie Rochette, the bronze medalist whose determination in Vancouver inspired a nation, said a final goodbye to her mother by laying her Olympic medal on the casket Thursday.
The emotional moment came during the funeral for mother Therese Guevremont-Rochette, who was laid to rest in Berthierville, Que.
Therese Rochette, who was 55, died of a heart attack on Feb. 22, hours after she arrived in Vancouver to watch her daughter compete.
When Canadian Olympic officials announced the unexpected and devastating loss that day, they also announced that Rochette intended to compete as planned.
Rochette said that she wanted to finish the journey she and her mother began together, and dedicated her Olympic performance to her mother, one of her biggest supporters.
Berthierville's Ste. Genevieve church was packed as friends and family from the tight-knit community gathered to pay their respects.
During a heartfelt eulogy, the Olympian wept openly about what her mother accomplished during her life.
"I'm happy today because we're celebrating the life of my mother Therese -- a short life but an intense one," Rochette said.
"She taught me how to be brave. . . She was always there for me."
Members of the community who were gathered at Montreal's Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport to welcome Rochette back to Quebec on Monday were looking forward to supporting her in person, CTV's Genevieve Beauchemin said.
"They were looking forward to hugging her, to finally paying their respects in person, to tell her that she's not alone," Beauchemin said.
Just days after her mother's death, Rochette, 24, nailed her short program in the Olympic competition.
She used all of the allotted time before beginning her skate to compose herself and managed to hold it together to land every jump. After striking the final pose of her short program, she doubled over in grief.
But Rochette persevered and performed an emotionally-charged long program two days later that earned her a spot on the podium.
She took home the bronze medal -- Canada's first medal in the women's singles event since Elizabeth Manley won silver at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.
Her courageous performance made international headlines, and she was a co-recipient of the Vancouver 2010 Terry Fox Award by the Vancouver Organizing Committee.
Throughout the competition, Rochette received messages of condolence and support from skating fans around the world. About 150 fans were on hand to greet her and other Olympic athletes when they arrived at Montreal's Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport Monday.
With files from The Canadian Press
