Australia's snowboard cross world champion Alex "Chumpy" Pullin relaxed ahead of Winter Olympics

OUR flagbearer for the opening ceremony in Sochi has the most Australian name ever. That much we know. But who the heck is he?

HE'S Australia's best medal hope in Sochi.

A snowboard champ who grew up above his parents' ski hire shop in a small Victorian town. A globe-trotting videographer, musician, nature enthusiast and adventure-seeker.

But above all, Alex "Chumpy" Pullin is a 27-year-old dual snowboard dual cross world champion with an Olympic score to settle.

In Vancouver, he blew it. Crashed out on his very first run. He was leading eventual gold medallist Seth Westcott at the time. But he fell after landing a jump awkwardly and that was that. Four years down the drain like so much melted snow.

Pullin's sport of snowboard cross is brutal. Four, and sometimes six, racers hurtle down a tight, turny course together in unison, shoulder to shoulder.

It's the snowy equivalent of a greyhound race where you expect half the field to be knocked out of contention early. What you don't expect to see is the guy in front falling.

"I can't guarantee it won't happen this time," Pullin says when asked about his Vancouver shocker.

But deep down you can sense it won't. Pullin is a mature athlete these days. He's fast, technically sound and his large 1.85m frame ensures he's not an easy man to pass.

"I felt ready and just about to punch my peak," he says. "The all or nothing approach was what I felt I needed to do in Vancouver. This time I'm going to board within myself in the early rounds."

Mature athletes pace themselves. Pullin is that now. He has dominated his sport since Vancouver, winning his two World Championships within the last three years.

But it's the way he conducts himself off the snow that inspires confidence.

Pullin is impressively muscular. He keeps fit with plenty of gym work and loads of surfing. But unlike many super-fit athletes, there's nothing even faintly aggressive about him.

While most of his rivals have spent the last two months duking it out for spots on their respective national teams (competition for the US team was so cut-throat that Vancouver winner Westcott missed the team), Chumpy was chillin' in the waves of Sydney's Dee Why beach.

It was all part of the plan. Arrive relaxed. Stay calm. Soak it all in. Enjoy yourself.

Enjoying yourself seems to be the mantra of our Winter Olympians here in Sochi. Everyone from Pullin to Torah Bright keeps emphasising the need to have fun.

It might sound trite, but for Winter Olympians it's vital. Theirs, after all, is a sport you first get into for recreational purposes. Skiing and snowboarding is fun. Our most successful exponents of these sports are the ones who can keep that in mind.

Pullin's website gives a great insight into his mindset. It's full of high quality videos which he lovingly makes and edits with the help of a mate or two.

In one video, he's charging into the waves on a hidden beach with his mates. In another there's a beach bonfire. In another video, he's arcing beautiful smooth turns through a powdery glade. Other videos feature high-adrenaline racing action.

It all adds up to a man with a broad sense of perspective, which explains why he wouldn't miss tonight's Opening Ceremony extravaganza for anything.

Some athletes are too focussed on their events to march in the Opening Ceremony. Not Chumpy.

"The opening ceremony's a really exciting time. It's the first thing I'm really looking forward to," he said upon arrival in Sochi.

"You definitely feel pressures, but like I always say, my own expectations are the heaviest ones. I'm here to do my best and I'm aiming for the top like everyone is.

"We've got a really great team together for these Olympics, the biggest one ever, and I think that's a great thing to be a part of. I think the main thing is to take all that positive energy.

"I'm certainly happy to be riding the way I am coming into the biggest event of my career so far."

2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Catch all of the action live exclusively on TEN.