Lydia Lassila: 'I Always Wanted To Jump Like A Man'

Lydia Lassila is steeling herself for one of the biggest jumps in her life. She’s in Sochi, Russia, at the 2014 Winter Olympics, and she’s about to attempt the quadruple twisting triple somersault, a tongue twist of a phrase that has nothing on what it actually describes: a blisteringly difficult aerial skiing trick that involves multiple tucks and turns.

Before Lassila, only men had attempted the manoeuvre.

The then-32 year-old surveys the jump course, prepares herself, and launches off the platform, descending towards the jump ramp...

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Lydia Lassila at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Photo: Getty Images

This is one of the final scenes in The Will To Fly, Australia’s first feature length sports documentary about a female athlete. Lassila – a gold medallist at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010 – is its star, and was trailed by a film crew (including Australian director Katie Bender) for three years to make it.

The film draws comparisons to thrilling sport narratives, like Senna and Touching The Void. But The Will To Fly is about more than just the path to athletic glory.

For Lassila, her 15-year pursuit of aerial skiing’s most difficult trick wasn’t about winning medals, but rather about proving the power of female athletes on a global stage: "I always wanted to jump like a man. Women [athletes] can get caught up in their comfort zone. I never wanted that to happen to me."

Lassila competing during the Sochi Olympics. Photo: Getty Images

Another issue that the film focuses on is working motherhood. At the time of the last Winter Olympics, Lassila was a mother to a toddler with her husband, fellow skier, Lauri. (She has had another child since).

"There’s a sense that you can’t be adventurous or take risks," says Lassila of becoming a mother. "But that shouldn’t mean you give up on your dreams."

Now 34, Lassila has spoken out about the difficulty in being a mother and professional athlete, particularly in aerial skiing, where funding is low and facilities in Australia are limited.

Lassila at marie claire's 2015 Success Summit. Photo: Getty Images

In the lead up to the Sochi games, she relocated her family from Melbourne to Queensland to be closer to a water jump training facility near Brisbane.

"Being able to practise my jumps at home will make staying in my sport as a mother a lot easier," she said at the time. While she made history in 2014 as the first woman to complete the quadruple twisting triple somersault in competition, a small stumble in landing cost her points, and the gold medal went to an athlete who attempted a safer, less-demanding trick. (Lassila scored the bronze medal). She is hoping to don the green and gold for the fifth time at South Korea’s Winter Games in 2018.

For now, Lassila hopes that The Will To Fly inspires young women who dream of succeeding in a man’s world: “I want young girls see the film and know they can run as fast and jump as high and be as successful as the guys.” The Will To Fly is in cinemas on March 8.