Twenty-six year-old Alex “Chumpy” Pullin has won the coveted role of flag bearer at the Sochi Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony and is fast becoming Australia’s favourite Olympian.

Sponsored by high profile brands like Samsung, Red Bull and The North Face and bearing a striking resemblance to a young Keanu Reeves, it’s easy to see why he has become the media face of the Games, which will kick off after tonight’s Opening Ceremony.

In his downtime, the talented Aussie also fronts a reggae band with his sister called ‘love Charli’ and is a keen surfer.

It’s all a stark contrast to his nickname, which conjures up images of Playschool puppets or overweight cricketers far from the slick, multi-talented young gun Pullin really is.

So when and where was this ‘Chumpy’ title born?

“I grew up in a small town. Everyone had a handle growing up,” Pullin said of his upbringing in Mansfield, Victoria, during a Red Bull interview.

“It came from my parents mostly, but it stuck with friends and then older crew I was snowboarding with. It was fitting as a snowboard grommet and I probably should have grown out of it at some stage. The meaning of where it all started was lost and has now just become my name.”

If you’re sticking with the nickname, Chumpy, we here at The New Daily feel it needs a better backstory. We humbly suggest you explain your nickname as such: You carve it up on the snowboard so you have a lot of people telling you, “Chumpy! You can carve it”, much like the famous Chum dog food slogan of yesteryear …

It’s far-fetched, but a darn sight better than “it came from my parents”, don’t you think?