Olympic Games star’s mother reveals how bizarre Eiffel Tower encounter helped her daughter’s Paris wish come true

Natalya Diehm’s mother has revealed how an interaction with tourists underneath the Eiffel Tower may have paved the way for her daughter to win bronze in Paris.

The Australian produced the performance of her life to beat a number of big names to stand on the podium at the Olympic Games, with close friend and Team USA star botching her final run to hand Diehm bronze.

It was a proud and emotional moment for the Diehm family, who had flown to Paris to watch Natalya win her medal.

But for her mother Tamara, a chance encounter before the final saw her Olympic wish granted.  

She told Nine that she was wearing sparkles to celebrate her birthday when a group of men struck up a conversation with her, asking if she was an angel. 

‘I said ‘no I’m not, it’s my birthday’ and he said ‘what do you wish for?’ And I’ve never been asked what do I wish for and I said ‘I wish that my daughter would make the podium’ and she did,’ she told Eddie McGuire.

‘I knew what the scenario was and I knew Hannah Roberts is one of Nat’s closest friends and I knew Hannah was the decider, whether Natalya got the medal or came fourth so it was bittersweet… I was obviously overwhelmed with emotion.’

The BMX freestyler’s mother wished for her daughter to 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 on with fingers crossed as a series of top riders tried but failed to beat the best of her two runs, which scored 88.80 points.

She had only qualified in eighth place on but saved her best for the final, laying down an immediate marker as the second starter with her excellent opening run that scored over two-and-a-half points more than anything she had delivered on Tuesday.

She couldn’t quite produce a better run second time around, scoring 87.70, but three of her big rivals on the final run all crashed or bailed out early, leaving Diehm to celebrate the biggest moment of her injury-scarred career.

It had only been four years ago when she nearly quit the sport because of lack of funding and injury woes.