- Natalya Diehm’s mother talks about a chance meeting in Paris
- A group of men approached him near the Eiffel Tower.
- She wanted her daughter to win a medal at the Olympic Games.
Natalya Diehm’s mother has revealed how an interaction with tourists beneath the Eiffel Tower may have paved the way for her daughter to win bronze in Paris.
The Australian put in the performance of her life to beat several big names and climb onto the podium at the Olympic Gameswith a close friend and Team USA star who botched her final race and handed the bronze to Diehm.
It was a moment of pride and emotion for the Diehm family, who had flown to Paris to watch Natalya win her medal.
But for her mother Tamara, a chance meeting before the final made her Olympic wish come true.
She told Nine she was wearing glitter to celebrate her birthday when a group of men struck up a conversation with her and asked if she was an angel.
“I said ‘no, it’s my birthday’ and he asked me ‘what do you wish for?’ I’d never been asked what I wish for and I said ‘I wish for my daughter to get on the podium’ and she did,” she told Eddie McGuire.
‘I knew what the scenario was and I knew that Hannah Roberts is one of Nat’s closest friends and I knew that Hannah was the one who would decide whether Natalya got the medal or came in fourth, so it was bittersweet… I was obviously overwhelmed with emotion.’
Natalya Diehm’s mother Tamara has revealed how she had a chance encounter in Paris
The mother of the BMX freestyler wished her daughter to reach the podium at the Olympic Games
Diehm finished third behind Chinese winner Yawen Deng (92.60) and American silver medallist Perris Benegas (90.70) but had to watch with fingers crossed as a host of top riders tried but failed to overtake the best of her two rides, who scored 88.80 points.
She had qualified only eighth but saved her best for the final, setting an immediate marker as second starter with her excellent opening run that earned her more than two and a half points more than anything she had managed on Tuesday.
The second time around he was unable to produce a better race, scoring 87.70, but three of his main rivals in the final race crashed or retired early, leaving Diehm to celebrate the biggest moment of his injury-plagued career.
He had only been in the sport for four years when he was on the verge of abandoning it due to lack of funding and injury problems.