Sochi profile #7: Moguls skier Dale Begg-Smith
This we know: the 29-year-old mogul skier is our most successful ever Winter Olympian.
The Canadian-turned Aussie won gold in Torino in the knee-shattering event where competitors battle a barrage of brutal bumps and jumps, then backed that up with silver in Vancouver.
Some say he was robbed. A popular though unsubstantiated theory says the judges penalised him in his former home town while Canadian Alex Bilodeau took gold.
But then, there are a lot of theories about this guy.
Begg-Smith grew up in Canada and was a budding IT entrepreneur in his teens. Coaches in his winter sports-mad nation didn't think much of a young bloke balancing business interests and competitive skiing.
Forced to choose between the two, he emigrated to Australia and obtained citizenship in 2004. He trained on the bumps at Perisher, on Australia's only world-standard moguls course, with Olympic Winter Institute of Australia coaches and backing.
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There has been much speculation over the years about the nature of Begg-Smith's IT business. Some say his game is spyware. Others say it is pop-up ads. Another theory is that he generates revenue from ads when people mistype the name of a popular website.
Begg-Smith won't say a thing.
In early 2013, when the Australian Olympic Committee began slotting in likely names for the Sochi Olympics, Begg-Smith's name was on their list with an intriguing red question mark beside it.
They couldn't, or wouldn't, say whether he would compete. They couldn't, or wouldn't, say where he was.
Eventually, this reporter tracked him down on Grand Cayman Island, a noted Caribbean tax haven. Upon identifying myself as a journalist, he promptly hung up the phone.
Begg-Smith has always been a reluctant media performer. The image of this Lamborghini-driving high flyer is detached and aloof.
But those who know Begg-Smith swear by him. He is even said to be a philanthropist who donates to a variety of charitable causes, including the 2010 Haiti earthquake appeal in his Caribbean backyard.
Young Aussie moguls skier Matt Graham, who is a strong top 10 chance in Sochi and a rough medal hope, says the dual Olympic medallist has mentoree him both on and off the slopes.
Others have praised the way he stays in team accommodation without flaunting his wealth in the team environment.
Begg-Smith had three years away from the snow before returning to Australian training camps and World Cup competition late last year.
His class shone through immediately. In his first two world Cup outings this season, Begg-Smith finished 5th and 6th. In his other three events since, he finished 12th, 9th and 12th.
Some skiers in this sport are a little jerky. They look like they're fighting the hill. Despite such a long absence, Begg-Smith slid down those bumps as smoothly as chocolate sauce dripping down huge mounds of ice cream.
The inside word is that better is to come. Like all skiers in his sport, Begg-Smith has had injuries.
"He's skiing slow on purpose," his coach Steve Desovich said last week.
"He doesn't want to take a risk because if he hurts his back or hurts his knee at this point, there's no Olympics."
"In Sochi he will take the risks. He will ski faster, he will jump bigger. He will gear up for one last great performance."
Whatever happens, Begg-Smith's performance off snow should be just as compelling as his performance on it.