Biography
From a young age Lydia Lassila was certain of her destiny: to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. She began her career as an athlete with a love for gymnastics; however early injury forced her into retirement at the ripe old age of 16. It wasn’t until she was selected and offered a chance to transform into an aerial skier that she re-developed a hunger to be the best, and in 2002, represented Australia at the Salt Lake City Olympics, taking out eighth place. By 2003 she was ranked number two in the world; a title she held for the next three years along with multiple World Cup wins and impressive podium finishes. Unfortunately tragedy struck at the 2006 Olympic semi-finals where she suffered a devastating knee injury.
Never one for surrendering to defeat, Lydia made a remarkable recovery and regained her world ranking and in the 2008-2009 season, she was ranked the best in the world. In 2010 Lydia returned to compete at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, where she executed two remarkable jumps in the final to snatch Olympic Gold. This time there was no mistake; her preparation had been perfect; her mind, bulletproof. Not afraid of challenge, Lydia decided to defend her title at Sochi in four years’ time. She was determined to reach new heights, break boundaries and perform a new trick that no woman had ever done before: the quad twisting, triple somersault. With this motivation, she returned to the World Cup circuit in 2012, but unfortunately not without setback, suffering a debilitating back injury that shook her confidence yet again. Undeterred and prepared to see the challenge through, she fought her way back to health and continued her journey to the top, making history by performing the quad-twisting somersault at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. It was perfection in the air, but failing to land the jump secured her an Olympic bronze. Despite the colour of the medal, Lydia set out to do what she planned when she first started the sport.
At the beginning of 2017, Lydia returned to competition in a bid to return to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea, stating that these games would be her last. Although unsuccessful in reaching the final, Lydia will be remembered as an athlete that reached the pinnacle of her sport.
Notably, Lydia is the subject of a feature documentary film called The Will To Fly (2016), which chronicles her life and sporting pursuits. It follows her journey to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and her quest to perform the hardest acrobatic move ever in women's aerial skiing history.
Off the slopes, Lydia is a mother of two boys and she is a successful entrepreneur having launched her company BodyICE in 2006- a range of ice and heat packs to manage and treat injuries. She is also a member of the Athlete’s Commission on the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and the International Ski Federation (FIS). Her passion for sport and enthusiasm to make positive change drive her to be involved at a level where she can contribute and give back to a sport that has given her so much.
Testimonials
Lydia engaged our audience in a very unique way. Her presentation had a very deep and emotional feel that definitely had the audience in awe of her tenacious spirit and never give in attitude. She definitely inspired out audience and set a great tone for the meeting.
General Manager - Automobiles
Suzuki Australia Pty Ltd
Lydia, many thanks for last week. Your session was really great and the feedback is awesome. You have seriously been inspiring, including for me
Vice President Australia-New Zealand
GlaxoSmithKline
WOW, my hairs on my arms were standing up as Lydia spoke. Lydia, not only engaged the audience at our Sports Awards Night, she connected and inspired them through her ability to be down to earth. It's a true gift to share your personal journey of setbacks and triumphs to people you don't know. Lydia is the perfect speaker for any audience.
Melton City Council
Thank you for coming and sharing your aerials journey with us, I found extremely valuable and inspiring. Since starting aerials in 2012 I have looked up to you and your training ethic, and I envisioned myself standing on the Olympic Podium with a gold medal just like you! From talking to you I learnt many ways on how to improve and develop my aerials career. You are my inspiration and thanks to you I now have a raging fire in my belly to go out there, work hard and achieve my dreams!
Development Aerial Skier
Australian Ski Team
Had a wide range of people, aged from 11-80 and 20 different sports. Everyone rapt on her presentation.
Sporting Legends Club
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