When she was finished her routine, Joannie Rochette blew a kiss to the audience and then leaned back and waved both arms straight upwards.

A handful of days after the unexpected death of her mother, Rochette captured bronze with a strong performance in the ladies free skate Thursday night at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum.

Rochete’s mother, Thérèse, 55, died Sunday of a heart attack in Vancouver. She and husband Norman had arrived in Vancouver a day earlier.

“I feel proud,” Rochette said. “The result didn’t matter. I’m happy to be on the podium. That was my goal coming here. It’s been lifetime project with my mom and we achieved that.”

Following a personal best performance in Tuesday’s short program, Rochette, 24, entered the night in third place. She missed her second element, a triple flip, but was otherwise flawless.

Korean skater Yu-Na Kim won the gold medal with sublime skate that brought most of the audience to its feet and brought a shower of plush dolls to the ice. Mao Asada, who entered the evening in second, stumbled slightly and caught an edge, but managed to edge Rochette for the silver.

Canadian Cynthia Phaneuf, 22, who entered Thursday’s free skate in 14th position, fell during her second combination, but still scored a personal best. She finished the competition in 12th place.

Phaneuf has been in Vancouver for two weeks and said that she has been consistent in practice, but succumbed to nerves before her skate.

“I don’t really know why, but I was just more nervous,” Phaneuf said. “Even leaving from the hotel, coming from the village to the arena, I was more tense and had a lot more pressure on myself.”