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| Born | 18 January 1985 [1] Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Moguls skiing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Dale Begg-Smith OAM (born 18 January 1985) is an Australian-Canadian businessman and former Olympic freestyle skier. [2] Begg-Smith won the gold medal for Australia in the men's moguls event at the 2006 Winter Olympics and silver at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Begg-Smith formed an internet company when he was 13 years old. [3] He was skiing for his native Canada as a teenager when his coaches told him he was spending too much time on his successful business and not enough time in training. [3]
So Begg-Smith quit the Canadian ski program and, along with his brother Jason Begg-Smith, moved to Australia at age 16 to live with his cousin Nicole. [4] The brothers chose to ski for Australia because the country had a smaller ski program that offered them more attention and flexibility to successfully manage their business. [3]
The brothers stayed out of competitive skiing for three years and instead trained with the Australian team, living in Jindabyne, New South Wales each winter. The pair qualified for Australian citizenship, in 2003–04, after three years and were then free to compete for their adopted country. [3]
Begg-Smith is one of only six Australians to win a gold medal in a Winter Games and the youngest to win an Olympic Gold in the history of men's freestyle mogul skiing. [4] [5]
In the lead-up to the 2006 Winter Games, Dale Begg-Smith won three World Cup rounds and was ranked world number one in the moguls' discipline. [6]
Begg-Smith holds the record for qualifying for the most consecutive World Cup finals in events he entered. In March 2010, he reached his 48th consecutive final. His fourth World Cup title in 2010 also put him even with French Skier Edgar Grospiron for most World Cup wins. [7]
Begg-Smith won silver at the 2010 Winter Olympics held in his native Vancouver, leading to some complaints about biased-judging from members of the Australian coaching staff. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] "Sometimes you're in the good graces of the judges, sometimes you're not," Gold medalist Alex Bilodeau said. "Judged sports can't be perfect. It can be a bad part of my sport. I see it. But everybody is going to be equal in the end." [12]
Begg-Smith represented Australia at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, [13] reaching the 2nd qualifying round. [14]
Begg-Smith is considered a recluse by many, and has repeatedly refused to communicate with non-Australian media, Canadian media in particular. [15] NBC dubbed him "the most mysterious man of the Winter Olympics" in a piece aired on 14 February 2010, during the Vancouver games. [16]
Alisa Monk, coordinator of the moguls program, said that she booked Begg-Smith's hotels and flights economically, despite his wealth. "Wherever the team stays, he stays. There are certainly no big demands. You wouldn't know he had a bit of money." She also said, "When he is at Perisher he stays in the same hut as the other mogul skiers and his brother." [17]
After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Begg-Smith donated his prize money – about $13,670 – to earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. [18]
There are claims that Begg-Smith's internet advertising business, Ads CPM later called CPM Media, had been linked to the distribution of malware. [19] [20] The Sydney Morning Herald reported that "a trail of digital fingerprints scattered over the web... shows Mr Begg-Smith's long and rewarding involvement in the distribution of "malicious software". [21] Begg-Smith's manager, David Malina, said reports about his client's business had been "exaggerated", and that "it's not really something that he's involved with anymore ... he's minimised his involvement to concentrate on his sport." [21]
On 21 February 2006, Australia Post issued a postage stamp commemorating Begg-Smith's achievement, saying his gold put him in a "small and honoured group of athletes". [22] In 2005, he was awarded Ski and Snowboard Australia's Snowsports Athlete of the Year. [23]
| Date | Games | Location | Discipline | Results | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 February 2006 | 2006 Torino Olympics | Sauze d'Oulx | Men's Moguls | Gold | [24] |
| 14 February 2010 | 2010 Vancouver Olympics | Cypress Mountain | Men's Moguls | Silver | [25] |
| Date | Location | Discipline | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 March 2007 | Madonna di Campiglio, Italy | Moguls | 2007 Freestyle World Championships | Silver |
| 10 March 2007 | Madonna di Campiglio, Italy | Dual Moguls | 2007 Freestyle World Championships | Gold |
| 19 March 2005 | Ruka, Finland | Moguls | 2005 Freestyle World Championships | Bronze |
| Date | Discipline |
|---|---|
| 2005–2006 | Moguls |
| 2006–2007 | Moguls |
| 2007–2008 | Moguls |
| 2009–2010 | Moguls |
| Date | Location | Discipline | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-03-2010 | Sierra Nevada | Moguls | Silver |
| 1-01-2010 | Lake Placid | Moguls | Silver |
| 16-01-2010 | Deer Valley | Moguls | Silver |
| 14-01-2010 | Deer Valley | Moguls | Gold |
| 09-01-2010 | Calgary | Moguls | Gold |
| 08-01-2010 | Calgary | Moguls | Gold |
| 08-03-2008 | Are | Dual Moguls | Silver |
| 07-03-2008 | Are | Moguls | Gold |
| 16-02-2008 | Inawashiro | Moguls | Gold |
| 20-01-2008 | Lake Placid, NY | Moguls | Gold |
| 18-01-2008 | Lake Placid, NY | Moguls | Silver |
| 03-03-2007 | Voss | Moguls | Gold |
| 02-03-2007 | Voss | Moguls | Gold |
| 24-02-2007 | Apex | Moguls | Gold |
| 18-02-2007 | Listel – Inawashiro | Dual Moguls | Gold |
| 06-02-2007 | La Plagne | Dual Moguls | Gold |
| 05-02-2007 | La Plagne | Moguls | Bronze |
| 06-01-2007 | Mont Gabriel | Moguls | Gold |
| 18-03-2006 | Apex, BC | Moguls | Gold |
| 01-03-2006 | Jisan Forest Resort | Moguls | Gold |
| 04-02-2006 | Spindleruv Mlyn | Moguls | Silver |
| 28-01-2006 | Madonna di Campiglio | Moguls | Gold |
| 22-01-2006 | Lake Placid, NY | Moguls | Gold |
| 20-01-2006 | Lake Placid, NY | Moguls | Gold |
| 13-01-2006 | Deer Valley, UT | Moguls | Bronze |
| 18-12-2005 | Oberstdorf | Moguls | Gold |
| 11-02-2005 | Naeba | Moguls | Bronze |
| 05-02-2005 | Inawashiro | Moguls | Silver |
| 29-01-2005 | Deer Valley, UT | Moguls | Silver |
Australia first competed in the Winter Olympic Games in 1936 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and has participated in every games since, with the exception of the 1948 Games in St. Moritz.
Australia competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The team of 40 athletes was the largest ever for Australia, surpassing the team of 31 that participated at the 1960 Winter Olympics.
Canada competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, with a team of 196 athletes and 220 support staff.
Winter sports in Australia encompasses a great variety of activities across the continent of Australia, including winter sports played in snow and ice such as ice hockey. Climate varies considerably from the tropical North to temperate South in Australia, and sporting practices vary accordingly. Ice and snow sports like Skiing in Australia are conducted in the high country of the Australian Alps and Tasmanian Wilderness. Australia has relatively low mountain ranges, but a long history of participation in recreational skiing and the Winter Olympic Games. Australians have won olympic gold in ice skating, skiing and snow-boarding events. Australia's generally flat geography and usually mild winter climate otherwise provide ideal conditions for international non-snow/ice winter sports and team games like rugby union football, rugby league football, and association football (soccer), which are all popular sports during the Australian winter and in which Australia has enjoyed considerable international success. Australian rules football is a home-grown winter football code with a wide following throughout Australia. Many other sports are also played or watched in Australia through the winter season.
Jennifer Heil is a Canadian freestyle skier from Spruce Grove, Alberta. Heil started skiing at age two. Jennifer Heil won the first gold medal for Canada in the 2006 Winter Olympics games in Turin, Italy and a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, which was also Canada's first medal in those games. Jennifer held the Guinness World Record for most gold medals won at a World Championship. She has four world championship titles in total and two silver medals from the Worlds as well. Over her career, Heil became the first mogul skier to complete the "Grand Slam" winning all major titles in the sport including a record-tying five overall FIS World Cup Crystal Globe titles. Jennifer is a member of the Canadian Order of Sport, Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Pantheon des Sports du Québec, inducted as the winningest female skier in Canadian history.
Lydia Lassila is an Australian Olympic freestyle skier gold medalist who competed in the 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympic Games. She is the 2010 Olympic champion and the 2014 bronze medalist in aerials.
Freestyle skiing has been contested at the Winter Olympic Games since the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France.
Jason Begg-Smith is an Australian-Canadian freestyle skier who competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics and Snow Hall of Fame Medal recipient. He finished in 29th place. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he is the older brother of Olympic Gold Medalist Dale Begg-Smith. In 2021 Jason received the prestigious Snow Australian Hall of Fame medal.
Canada has sent athletes to every Winter Olympic Games and every Summer Olympic Games since its debut at the 1900 games with the exception of the 1980 Summer Olympics, which it boycotted along with the USA and other countries. Canada has won at least one medal at every Olympics in which it has competed. The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) is the National Olympic Committee for Canada.
David John Morris is an Australian aerial/freestyle skier who competed in 3 Winter Olympic Games in 2010, 2014 and 2018. He is Australia's most successful male aerial skier, having competed across FIS World Cup, World Championships and Winter Olympic competitions. He is the first Australian male aerial skier to compete at two consecutive Olympic Games, and the first Australian medalist in the Olympic Men's Aerials.
Alexandre Bilodeau is a Canadian retired freestyle skier from Rosemere, Quebec, Bilodeau currently resides in Montreal, Quebec. Bilodeau won a gold medal in the men's moguls at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, becoming the first Canadian to win a gold medal at an Olympic Games held in Canada. At the 2014 Winter Olympics, he became the first Olympian in history to defend his gold medal in any freestyle skiing event as well as the first Canadian to defend an individual title since Catriona Le May Doan at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Bilodeau is a three-time FIS World Champion in dual moguls, and is also a two-time Worlds silver medallist in moguls. He was the FIS World Cup champion for the 2008–09 season winning the moguls and overall freestyle skiing title that season. In his final World Cup race, he retired with a win, and in doing so, surpassed Jean-Luc Brassard for the most World Cup medals by a Canadian.
The Men's Moguls event in freestyle skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy took place on 15 February at Sauze d'Oulx.
Skiing in Australia takes place in the Australian Alps in the states of New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory as well as in the mountains of the island state Tasmania, during the Southern Hemisphere winter.
Patrick Deneen is an American freestyle skier, specializing in moguls. Deneen was the gold medalist at the 2009 International Ski Federation (FIS) Freestyle World Ski Championships. In December 2009, Deneen won the US Olympic trials, held at Steamboat Springs, Colorado, securing a spot on the US Olympic Team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In FIS World Cup events, he has reached the podium at 4 events in 25 starts, and was the 2008 Freestyle Rookie of the Year.
Chloé Dufour-Lapointe is a Canadian freestyle skier. She was the 2013 FIS World Champion in dual moguls with her winning run at the 2013 World Championships. Dufour-Lapointe was the runner-up and silver medallist at the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships 2011 as well and placed fifth at the 2010 Olympic Games. She won silver at the 2014 Olympic Games behind her sister Justine.
Alex Pullin, nicknamed Chumpy, was an Australian snowboarder who competed at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. He was a two-time snowboard cross (boardercross) world champion.
Mikaël Kingsbury is a Canadian freestyle skier. He is the most accomplished mogul skier of all time. He achieved eminence early in his career after earning the 2009–10 FIS World Cup Rookie of the Year award. He is a ten-time FIS Freestyle World Cup title-holder for overall moguls and nine-time title-holder for overall freestyle, owning the records for most men's Moguls World Cup titles and Overall Freestyle World Cup titles. He also owns the records for career World Cup moguls victories with 78, and consecutive Freestyle World Cup event wins with 13. He is the first man to have won both the moguls and dual moguls World Championship events, and has won the most medals at the Freestyle World Championships of any male competitor in history, having won a medal in 13 of the 14 events he has competed in. Kingsbury won the Olympic silver medal in 2014 and 2022, and, at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, he won the gold medal in men's moguls.
Justine Dufour-Lapointe is a Canadian freestyle skier. She was the Olympic champion in the moguls event at the 2014 Winter Olympics and won a silver medal in moguls at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The gold and silver she and her sister Chloe Dufour-Lapointe won in 2014 was the first time that Canadian sisters stood together on the podium, and the fourth time ever by all nations. In winning the Olympics, she became the youngest freestyle skiing Olympic champion ever at nineteen years of age. Dufour-Lapointe was the FIS World Cup rookie of the year for the 2010–11 season. Dufour-Lapointe was the world champion in moguls at the 2015 World Championships has also won a silver and two other bronze medals in the moguls event at the Freestyle World Ski Championships.
The men's moguls event in freestyle skiing at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia took place on the 10 February at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park in Krasnaya Polyana, Sochi.
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