Bobsledder Steve Mesler's Olympic journey in Whistler got off to a rocky start, just weeks before the Games, but the ending couldn't have been better.
Mesler is the U.S. athlete whose parents, Ben and Lois, from New York, were scammed out of $8,000 while trying to rent accommodation in Whistler.
It was the last thing any Olympian needed on the eve of competition. Within days of the story breaking, however, his parents were offered accommodation in town.
So they were right there in the crowd at Medals Plaza, beaming with pride, as their son was awarded a gold medal, alongside his U.S. bobsleigh teammates on Saturday night, the last medals presentation in Whistler.
And they were there to see the U.S. flag raised and sing the last national anthem in the plaza.
With the gold medal gleaming around his neck, Mesler said his win hadn't quite sunk in.
He had yet to really speak to his parents, his sister and his best friend in between his win at the sliding centre and his medal presentation just hours later.
But he could see them in the crowd waving.
"They've got a great place," said Mesler. "We couldn't be more appreciative of the fact that we're in Whistler."
When asked if he had any hard feelings about Whistler, he said:
"Only hard feelings against one guy."
The Meslers used an advertising site, Rent2010.net to help them find their accommodation.
Whistler RCMP Staff Sergeant Steve Le Clair said this week that the investigation is continuing and they are in the process of preparing a report to Crown Counsel with a suspect in mind.
"There are some similar incidents in Burnaby," he said.
He expects to see the report complete within the month.
