Australian freestyle skier Dale Begg-Smith is to compete at the Sochi Olympics after a three-year absence due to injury.
The 29-year-old mogul skier, who won gold in Turin in 2006 and silver in Vancouver four years ago, has suffered problems with his knee, hip and back in recent years.
Begg-Smith wasn't sure if he would ever return to the slopes as a competitor again, but was drawn by the lure of the Winter Olympics.
"I saw the team improving and you kind of get the itch when you see the Olympics coming up," the two-time medallist is quoted as saying by Market Wired. "These are fun to come to. I thought I'd come back, work with the guys a bit, see if I could learn how to ski again.
"Most important is just to get down the hill. It's just like riding a bike. If I'm going to get injured, I'd prefer to do it during the event. I'm not worried about getting injured from the sake of, 'Oh, it hurts,' point of view."
Begg-Smith is Australia's all time most successful Winter Olympian.
Daniel Lewis
