Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette in third place at Vancouver Olympics after mother's death

While mourning her mother's death, Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette still managed to come in third place tonight (February 23) in the short program at the Vancouver Olympics.

She  trails two titans in the figure-skating world, South Korea's Kim Yu-Na and Japan's Mao Asada, and is in a good position to win a medal on Thursday (February 25). Last year, Rochette won a silver at the world championships.

Rochette's mother, Therese, died at Vancouver General Hospital on the weekend after suffering a heart attack. She had come to the city to watch her daughter perform in the 2010 Games.

The audience at the Pacific Coliseum gave Rochette a thunderous ovation when she skated onto the ice tonight.