Australian · Melbourne, Victoria, Australia · Born 17 January 1982Lydia Lassila is an Australian former aerial skier and Olympic champion who became the first Australian woman to compete at five Winter Olympics, overcoming multiple serious knee injuries throughout her career.
Lydia Lassila, née Ierodiaconou, was born on January 17, 1982, in Melbourne, Australia, to a Greek-Cypriot and Italian family, and was a competitive gymnast until an injury ended that pursuit at 16. She was selected for an Australian program transforming former gymnasts into aerial skiers, and made her Olympic debut at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games after just two years in the sport. Lassila's career was repeatedly interrupted by injury, including two ruptured anterior cruciate ligaments within a year in 2006 and 2007, one suffered in training and the other during the semifinal of the 2006 Turin Olympics. She returned to deliver the finest performance of her career at the 2010 Vancouver Games, landing a spectacular jump to win Olympic gold in aerials, becoming the second Australian to win the event after Alisa Camplin in 2002. Lassila attempted an unprecedented feat at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, successfully landing a quadruple-twisting triple somersault — a trick never before completed by a woman in competition — in her final qualifying jump, and went on to win the bronze medal. She competed at a fifth Winter Olympics at PyeongChang 2018, becoming the first Australian woman to do so, before retiring from competition. Away from skiing, Lassila founded BodyICE, a sports recovery business born from her own experience recovering from injuries, and continues to work as a motivational speaker and broadcaster.
Winning Olympic gold in aerial skiing and landing the first quadruple-twisting triple somersault by a woman in competition
How They Played
Technically daring aerialist known for pushing the boundaries of trick difficulty in women's competition
Lasting Impact
Australia's most successful aerial skier and a symbol of resilience through repeated career-threatening injuries
Career Honours
- Olympic gold, aerials (2010)
- Olympic bronze, aerials (2014)
- First woman to land a quadruple-twisting triple somersault in competition
- 5x Olympian (2002-2018), first Australian woman to do so
- Order of Australia Medal
Australian Athletes