I'm far from an expert on whether or not Dale Begg-Smith should have won the gold medal. Known as the "Iceman" the self made millionaire freestyler is known to be shy towards the media, rarely exhibiting emotions... even when he wins. Recently bested by Canadian Alexandre Bilodeau, the defending Olympic gold medalist Dale Begg-Smith has been recently criticized for his "icy" behaviour toward the Canadian media. Originally born in Vancouver, Begg-Smith left Canada for Australia at fifteen years old after Canadian freestyle ski officials objected to him pursuing interests outside of competitive skiing. Hm.. well all the power to him. Since then he has left a lasting imprint in freestyle skiing and remained a lead in the world rankings.
"I think it was great that Canada won gold and the crowd was really happy with it and everybody went crazy," Begg-Smith said. "We're out there to put on a show. Obviously everybody enjoyed what they saw and were really happy with the outcome of it." - NBC
Feeling snubbed, many Canadians have criticized his cool behaviour after winning silver on Sunday... but then again, are silver medalists usually that happy? A great deal of Canadians are irritated with him, but I do remember him in Turin.. and uh.. he was just the same... and he won gold! So relax people. I think he's just different, does things at his own pace, and is one of the few individuals who just doesn't give a damn. He's even known to avoid sponsorship because of the media obligations and unwanted exposure that would undoubtably follow. Iceman indeed.
On a happier note, an unexpected silver medal can be added to our count. Underdog Mike Robertson won a surprise silver with defending Olympic gold medalist Wescott winning another gold! The French team, favoured to win did not make it to the finals.
