Heartbreaking news from the Olympic Games. Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette, defending world silver medalist, lost her mother, Thérèse, last night in Vancouver. The cause of death is not yet determined.

The Rochette family had just arrived in Vancouver, when her mother was rushed to Vancouver General Hospital. As of this moment, Rochette still intends to compete at the Olympic. Rochette was one of the favorites to win a medal for Canada, the country's first in women's skating since 1988.

Heartbreaking news from the Olympic Games. Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette, defending world silver medalist, lost her mother, Thérèse, last night in Vancouver. The cause of death is not yet determined.

The Rochette family had just arrived in Vancouver, when her mother was rushed to Vancouver General Hospital. As of this moment, Rochette still intends to compete at the Olympic. Rochette was one of the favorites to win a medal for Canada, the country’s first in women’s skating since 1988.

Update: Despite the tragedy of losing her mother, Joannie Rochette has elected to compete at the Olympics, and showed up to the first offical practice today, where she did a small run-through of her short program. Rochette has expressed that the media give her full privacy through this competition, and will not be doing any interviews until after the competition. She thanks her fans, coach and family for their support.

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