Veteran Australian Olympian Phillip Bellingham has played a starring role in the spectacular Winter Games debut of ski mountaineering, the exhilarating but completely exhausting sport that won a new army of fans in Bormio.
Bellingham, who'd previously competed in three Olympics as a cross country skier, enjoyed being part of history on Thursday when he not only lined up in the debut of 'skimo' amid a winter wonderland snowfall, but also won the hearts of the crowd by giving his all to battle into the semi-finals of the sprint.
Not only that, but the popular 34-year-old known as 'Philpot', even went for broke in his semi-final, leading briefly with his glory-or-bust approach before his heroics efforts finally saw him burn out and finish last.
