Born: 19 February 1977

Birthplace: Arosa (Switzerland)

Nationality: Switzerland

Sport: Skiing

ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Nagano 1998

Salt Lake City 2002

Turin 2006

AWARDS

Olympic medals:

Gold: 1

Two Dream Runs

The snowboarding halfpipe event was added to the Olympic programme in 1998. Gian Simmen, a 20-year-old from Arosa, Switzerland, was not one of the favourites. The competition began with a qualifying round. The top six snowboarders advanced directly to the final. The rest of the entrants took part in a second qualifying round. The top six in that round also went on to the final. In the opening round, Simmen finished only 21st. He scraped through to the final by placing third in the second qualifying round. Once in the final, however, Simmen performed like a champion. Competing in a downpour, he put together two solid runs and earned a clear victory. "I can't believe it," he said. "I've never ridden like this before. Maybe only in my dreams."