Steven Bradbury's Unbelievable Gold Medal Victory | Olympic Rewind
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2013
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Australian speed skater Steven Bradbury talks us through his performance at the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympic Games where an incredible climax to the race opened the door for Bradbury to claim Olympic gold and write his name in Olympic history.
Each week the Olympic Rewind series visits some of the most amazing moments from the Games with insight and views from the Olympians themselves.
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he's quoted as saying yes I did get lucky but I still trained 5 hours a day 6 days a week for years... it's not like he was just a random that hadn't worked for it, he trained he was selected for the aus team and got through all the heats... he did deserve it, he worked for it.
***** It'd be hard to believe that he got that far without great skill and passion for the sport. Competitive sports isn't just about being the best or the fastest, but about being the only one who doesn't stuff up when it matters most... like 15m before the finish line.
Getting to the finals of the olympics is more than enough to state that you are a badass at what you do
Let's be honest, luck is a part of success. Athletes are lucky to not be injured before the Olympics, when their competition has an off-day, when they meet the proper coach for them. Heck, most medalists are lucky to be born in a country where their sport is valued and funded. He didn't have that, he relied mostly on himself to get where he was. He was thirty years old at that time, and he had been consistently qualifying for the Olympics. It's simply wrong to devalue his win.
He said his tactic was to stay out of trouble and capitalise on any errors, and that was the winning tactic. He reviewed the field, knew the relative strengths of his competitors, and as a result played the game best, he fully deserved his medal.
Did he say the best ice skater in the field 🤣🤣
He didn’t fall down. Pretty sure not falling down is a fundamental part of speed skating, that makes him the strongest skater on the ice that day.
Hard not to fall down when someone else crashes into you due to no fault of your own.
you have just reenforced the fundamental , don't get so close to others alas you fall down with them.
That what is in any race of this sort, Car racing, marathon runs skating.
You share space with others and there is risk vs reward in keeping close to competitors. Risk being crashing or obstructing.
How is it any different from the artsy sports like diving, boarding, dancing,
where you choose to do easy moves with low risk or hard high scoring moves with high risk of falling.
You take high risk to clump into a final corner you risk not finishing
Personally i feel bradbury deserved the win, simply because being for a country with probably no more than 10 ice rinks in the hole country he probably deserved to have a handicap allowance.
@@vera3996 He did deserve to win because he crossed the line first. He was very lucky but also used tactic. The others who got crashed into were unlucky but were also too close to each other, which is high risk, as you said. I was at an ice skating rink in Brisbane last year and as I took a sip of my water, I looked up and saw Steven Bradbury walking past. I almost choked on my water 😄 I was with my sister and two nephews. My sister asked if they could get a photo with him, and he graciously obliged. He was very friendly. The video of his win still gives me chills and makes me teary. Come on Aussie!!! 🇦🇺❤️
At least the smartest racer
@@eXcommunicate1979 Yes and no. Keeping close gives you wind shelter and makes you faster. Like a peloton. But just as in that peloton the risks of crashes are high. When people are pushing or physically fighting for position this type of crash is pretty common. That had been a part of the sport for years. The lesson learned for future events is "be less agressive. Concentrate on skating not fighting".
His philosophy is common in motorsports, if drivers are aggressively fighting for position ahead of you; give them room and wait to potentially capitalize. Smart man and accolades for winning the Gold.
+Mr. Ben turns out he raced in the V8 ute series after retiring from competitive speed skating.
+Lincoln Humphries I raced him in Formula Vee. He still drives occasionally in club stuff I think.
What a humble dude.
That's his strength.
This man is an Australian legend!
Luca Furlan Never said he wasn't
+Anna C you think that's a skate? THIS is a skate
+Anna C captain kangaroo!
Why is he a legend????? Because he won a race by just luck???? right...
Ninjanomikz Right.... Even he said he didn't deserve the medal. He won it not because he was awesome but only because the others made mistakes.
I love his overall approach,he started knowing he was lucky to be in a Olympic Final,he realised the other skaters were admittedly better and he tried to enjoy it,he stayed in the back throughout the race and when he miraculously won out of nowhere he didn't celebrate like he was the best in the world but showed respect to everyone else and to himself.He was a lucky guy and he knew it,that's what i like about him.
Yeah, he was lucky, but you make your own luck.
In the 90s he was World Champion so he had been the best in the world but his age meant he wasn't as quick as the others.
he knew he's not the strongest skater, he thought he'd be lucky to nick a bronze if others crash but he got the gold.... "Bradbury" is now a term not just a person.....
@@goodshipkaraboudjan Yes, and also the injuries he went through...
It looks like a bit of a silly sport, but then, if you think about it, so is 100m sprint on dry land in a dead straight line.
The old adage: to finish first, first you must finish
Bradbury's Luck is now a common saying in Australia, it does not mean sheer chance or pure good luck, but more that hard work can sometimes lead to wonderful results
Also the term 'Doing a Bradbury'.....where you win when everyone else fails to finish or simply stuff up, ie: when you're 'The Last Man Standing'.....the name of his autobiography. He is an Olympic legend.....his Gold is more for his career of elite toil and perseverance and is thoroughly deserved.
Common? Come, on.
Hard work, perseverance, and smart strategies as well. In his case, it worked out really well
Very cool.
I think he won because he was smart, not because he was the best.
Which is just as good. He should still savor the gold.
Good on him I say. He was lucky, and he knows it and is humbled by it, he doesn't pretend to be some ass-kicking skater. But he deserved it as much as anyone else who won gold has. I reckon he set a great example for kids (and adults) out there - He didn't try to be something he wasn't, he kept a cool head, just doing his best and reaching his own potential were his goals, he didn't focus on all the better skaters, he just tried to do his best and enjoy the moment and at least go down fighting. Great life lesson as far as I'm concerned. You never know what will happen if you just chip away the best you can and NEVER give up.
Did you say he kept a COOL head? Huh? xD
Thank you for this.after watching the video and reading this i feel like thats the way to be. be your own competition. be the best for you and the world will notice;then, stay humble.
The interesting thing is that he have a bronze from the Olympics in 94 and, one gold, one silver and one bronze from the World Championships in 91, 93 and 94 as well. All of those in relays, but it shows he wasn't a bad skater!
I'm a Aussie u know
That's why people say that if you have done a Bradbury it means you have pulled something out of nothing
He had horrible injuries too in the years leading up to this win. In another interview he said something along the lines of "I didn't accept that gold medal for that one race - I accepted it for the years of practise and hard work and pain that got me to be in that race."
We Aussies still refer to any come-from-behind or unexpected moment as "doing a Bradbury" :-)
Makes me sad that he feels like he has to doubt his worth to the Gold, he even said so himself his play was so stratigicly distance himself and guess what - it worked! Thats a champion I dont care how much faster the guys were ahead, you put a plan in place and it payed off! Well deserved mate.
Steven Bradbury is a hero. He never gave up but he did understand where he was and he understood that winning was everything for his opponents and that they would gamble everything for that. His judgement was right. His speed was enough.
Very rightly put
People forget that Steven Bradbury was at the end of his career. What he does not mention that in a previous Olympics and in previous world champs he was rated number 1 or 2 and got taken out in the races. He ws not someone who just appeared and just made it in out of nowhere. Sure he wasnt the strongest skater there, and his attitude when he won was spot on.
Yup. They don't mention that this was actually his fourth Olympics. You don't get chosen for the Olympics four times if you're not good. He'd also won the World's three years previously. It annoys me when people say he came out of nowhere, because in reality he was actually a top athlete in his field.
He was the best skater out there because he used his head and done a tactical race and stayed out the way.
Easy to say in hindsight
+loomibiq Yeah when you're getting blown out so badly like that, its easy to claim you were just "staying out of the way". If the accident hadn't happened, this guy wouldn't even be a footnote in skating history
All the other guys were probably thinking about winning
It's actually kind of incredible. I was just a kid when this went down, but he got through the quarter finals because the then world champion was DQ'd for obstruction. He wouldn't have made it to the semi-finals without that call. In his semi-final race he was in last, but three skaters in front of him crashed on the last lap which gave him second in his heat and paved the way for his road to the finals... where everyone crashed again. I respect this guy, he was a veteran of the sport and he played smart.
+Tom Patterson nah he is crap skater. And luckiest skater
+TopOfLadder 4 He is a Gold medal Olympian. If that is crap I will take it any day.
orgasmified Did you watched whole race. He was coming last. He was doing rubbish(if his any better). And the Ahn, Ohno Crashed. Bradbury was lucky enough to avoid crashing. He finished the race and acted like he actually won it with his talent. Lol.
+TopOfLadder I actually don't think Bradbury gives a rats arse what anyone thinks of his skating ability when he is at home kissing his Gold Medal! Lol. But just so you know what I think. He is the greatest skater that ever lived.
orgasmified LOL. LOL LOL. LOL. HAHAHAHA. I AM LAUGHING> so his better then Victor Ahn. Apolo Ohno. Lee jung so. huh? really. i am saying again. He was coming last. And players crashed. giving him a 1st chance to ACTUALLY win the race.
He's totally humble, and completely deserving of the gold!
Half of winning is just turning up.
The other half, apparently, is getting the Blue Shell.
Derpy Geth
LMAO nice.
You have to finish to finish first!
Brad Smith morw like 80%
Most 'Ozzy' medal win EVER!. "She'll be right, just hang back".
Slow and steady wins the race. :P
baraki808 seeing as this happens often.. nah.
:P
THAT'S WHAT I CALL A ''GOOD LUCK''!!!!!!!
i love how every one else scrambled to the finish line
I am Australian and this is one of our proudest Gold medals - sport throws up different ways of winning and Bradbury seized the moment. A lot of hard work sometimes pays off with a bit of luck in a moment in sport. Be proud Bradbury.
Dude, I feel like part of the Olympics is this kind of thing. If you are even IN the finals you deserve the opportunity to win the gold. This is how the race went on that day, it's part of the sport, and this is Steven's gold, and he earned it. 15 years later and I still remember it like it was yesterday.
i want more people like this
You would never hear a General second-guessing a win on the battlefield. You were the strongest and the brightest that day. Great race! I love watching it. You are awesome!
Such a humble man. You got it fair and square. You did you and the others did themselves and crashed and burned. You won the gold fair and square. You deserve it.
LOL THE GUY 3RD GUY JUMPED TO THE LINE XD
and then grabbed his ass in pain xD (if you watch a video that shows the whole clip)
Love how respectful and humble he was about the whole thing! True sport
he definately deserves the medal because he's the only one who didn't fall over! sure he may not have been the fastest but he clearly had the sense and the skill not to fall over with everyone else :P
Exactly, half the skill is keeping upright on ice.
Had the sense and skill? This was nothing to do with skill, the skaters that were directly behind the first collision had NO chance avoiding the crash. If Bradbury was in the same position he would also fallen down. Nothing to do with sense, you think he chose to remain behind by a far cautious distance? He admitted he was tiring out in those final laps. If he was fitter he would have definitely preferred to be right up there amongst the front runners. You're basically saying he endured the same chaotic situation as everyone else in the front runner group and made it through.
He won the race FAIRLY. 100% fairly. As an Australian, it was an awesome victory for us.
But saying he DESERVED it? Absolutely not. He was fortunate enough to be lagging behind the group, when there were at least two other skaters who did absolutely nothing wrong but were in an unavoidable crash situation and would have won otherwise.
We obviously have very different concepts of "deserving" then..
@@Beechaii2 There was nothing stopping the faster skaters from staying behind as well. If you stay in a group, you conserve a lot of energy by drafting but risk going down in case one skater falls. If you stay too far behind, you need more energy but avoid getting hit by a falling skater. Every skater knows that. Bradbury trained hard for years, he had several serious injuries, and kept racing despite knowing that he wasn’t the strongest skater. And still you insist that he didn’t deserve a win? The only olympians who don’t deserve a win are cheaters and dopers.
@@adrian.m258 If you stayed behind you will lose the large majority of the time. Go and ask Bradbury if it's a winning strategy. Probably 1 or 2/10 races this will work. Longterm it's a losing strategy and he was extremely fortunate, common sense logic. You can even see in his interview in the video he said he didn't feel right about the victory in the podium because it was so lucky. Thats clearly insinuating him feeling he didn't deserve it because he was by far the weakest. The two racers that were in front of him who had nothing to do with causing the pile up deserved it. The over aggressive guys made their move and spoilt it for everyone else.
To finish first....first you must finish! Go Aussie Go!!
Steven, you WERE the strongest skater out there!!!! Don't feel bad for winning, you crossed the line on your feet unlike the silver and bronze medalists. You deserve every glory that comes along with Olympic gold.
I'm a Japanese and I was 2 months after birth then. Many Japanese TV programs introdused this miracle. I moved!!
お若い！このシーンはリアルタイムで見てなくても有名だよね。ちなみに I moved は引っ越したという意味なので、I was moved! で。
I'm Canadian...remember this like it was yesterday. Loved every minute of it!!! Mr Bradbury should be very proud, he skated very smart. VERY SMART. He is very deserving of his gold medal!!!
"There are no mistakes" - Master Oogway
I think Australia threw out the blue shell
Tom Phelan I love this comment!
Bless you Tom :')
Non Aussie here...what does that mean?
Aren't u Aussie?
@@linda10989 mario kart reference
WHAT A humble man good luck to him
Fortune favours the cautious.
I see what you did there. ;) lol
And the bold... If they are fortunate enough :D
See more contributed 99% of the views! I want to SEE MORE!
I see people write he was lucky. No-one who wins a gold medal is lucky. More than a decade of work and training went into Mr Bradbury's gold medal. He used the tactics that won him gold. No luck involved. Absolute legend in the nation of his birth
Well actually there was luck but it was about time especially given his extremely unlucky career and string of injuries. But he was a very good skater in his prime and he was sort of robbed of a chance for a gold medal. A gold more for his long arduous trudge and diligence instead of skill at the twilight of his career.
Someone else's mistake causing an unavoidable crash for everyone else ... that's blatant luck. You're blind if you don't see it. I'm an Australian myself and it's an amazing victory for him and for the country, but it was nothing but luck.
He didn't use tactics, you think he wanted to be lagging behind the group by that far? If he was being tactical, you're saying he intentionally slowed down to be last. Nope. He was going as fast as he could and simply was tiring out. That's not being tactical. That's doing his absolute best and he was being beaten by the fitter skaters.
The Rabbit and the Tortoise. Skill and strategy, play to your strengths, be mindful of your weaknesses and in divine circumstance you may find they contribute in equal measure. Well done Steven. Last man standing when it counts.
U.S. & China get all tangled up in a Korean "Hurry hurry, worry worry" mentality, while a 'steady as we go' Aussie wins the race! Well done Steve for being there. You stayed on your feet, which has to be the number one rule in a 'stand up' race.
Totally humble. What a legend. Realistic. No one will every forget your Gold medal 🥇. Australia Sports Superstar
Mr Bradbury, you worked hard for that medal and raced cleverly. That golden medal is fully deserved. In fact I only remembered this race because of your extraordinary win. Good on ya!
I love everything about this story! Bradbury's gold medal is a perfect example of the Olympic passion. Competing is for oneself - just getting to the Olympics is a victory. The medal count is for one's country. Skating (and life) is about skill, speed, strength, smarts, and survival. The "luck" is that smarts and proven strategy paid off...Big time.
Steven says he wasn’t the strongest skater out there - Steven, you won the Gold! You proved to not only be the strongest skater on the day but also the smartest. This was an Olympic final in a difficult event. Your tactics and skating ability got you there. You out-skated and outsmarted the entire field. If the other finalists are honest they would have to admit it too. I’m sure by now you have come to terms with the fact that you totally deserved that Gold medal. Everyone else certainly thinks so. :)
Almost 20 years later and it still puts a tear in my eye.
Well, dang. He is quite gracious about it, too.
I love Steven Bradbury! I remember watching this race, it was so awesome to see him win it like that haha. Thanks for the vid. One of my favorite Olympic moments.
A win's a win. Whether it's an inch, a mile, or everyone else self destructing.
Great tactical move from him, he came in first fair and square!
"Salt Lake" I think this describes the round perfect (for the other guys what fail)
2:05 Well, he was maybe not the strongest skater in the race, but he sure was the smartest skater in the race. Fair gold medal to Steven :)
down one of those moments....A Steven Bardbury moment (as we Aussie calls), during hurdles when we were nearing the finish line. one girl tripped over her hurdle and the other stopped in front of hers....had no idea what was going on, so jumped the remaining hurdles and took 1st.
Take in mind this was at Little Athletics (a club to which you compete for fun doing athletic skills)
Every time we have another Olympics I think of this moment. One of the more memorable Australian sporting achievements. 🤣🤣🇦🇺
No Steven you deserve that Gold medal through hard work, dedication and never giving up on your dreams 👍🇦🇺 legend
i love how all 3 of them were from countries that are england's babies
theres australia, the cool, slightly crazy, a bit dangerous sibling,
then theres usa the rebellious one that hates tea
and then theres canada thats just...well...its canada
Canada is the well behaved and polite child that never embarrasses their parent. But is a bit.. well.. boring.. LOL
and they live in Americas attic.
dude won by being the only one not to fall on his ass.... good job mate!
I think the strange thing that always comes up with this is "Did he deserve to win", "he wasn't the strongest skater", etc. etc. One of the key elements of speed skating is you have to stay upright. If you can't do that, then you'll lose. He did, they didn't, ergo in that race, he was the best skater and a deserved winner. A beautiful moment in sport and after the career he had had representing our country, I am glad he was our first Winter Olympic Gold Medalist. Had the luck to meet him in 2004 and he was a fantastically humble and funny guy.
Makes you realize, getting gold isn't about being the strongest fastest or best, it's about winning the event. If you are the best you have the best shot, but you still have to make it count in the moment.
Ethan Bradbury
That's exactly what I was thinking
No race finish will ever be as fascinating to me as this. Bravo Steve ! You deserved it mate 🖤
National hero right there.
Funniest olympic story ever.....good on the guy for being modest about it at least i guess lol
The look of pure hatred from number three XD
+bigman25plus25 Which is funny because that guy was in 4th for most of the race. If it wasn't for that crash he probably wouldn't have even gotten a medal.
He still would've placed ahead of Bradbury though...not to mention Bradbury was lagging behind the entire pack. So ya, a bittersweet moment. He obviously isn't trying to hide his disappointment. Athletes train really hard just for that moment after all.
The rules were set, the race began, and he finished first. I see nothing to be ashamed of here.
Love this guy.
I remember seeing this and being shocked. What a wonderful never give up story.
See More... Thank you very much for this ♥
He was a champion to have been in that championship race. His strategy paid off. Not falling prey to chaos and not falling down are crucial to winning. He displayed class not to gloat or celebrate excessively. Awesome!
I've said it before. Humble dude! Good for him. He DID actually take Gold at the World meet some years prior, so this isn't just some random dude who walked on. Good to see he's still in the game, even after a very, very substantial injury that required over a hundred stitches and a year and a half of recovery.
Yep, it annoys me when people carry on like he was a complete nobody, like just some kid from the local high school team. He already had one Olympic bronze to his name, he'd won the Worlds three years before, and this was his fourth Olympics. He was absolutely a world class athlete.
Steven Bradbury for me he's a Hero, i often watch this, though still unable to do it with dry eyes...treu story...
It is amazing to watch a race for historyfor sure!
Well said Steven. Pride and humility...well done
LEGEND!
Skating isn't just about speed, it's about technique, strategy and balance, a true aussie legend
I think he deserved the gold because his strategy was "smart" and sports aren't all about athleticism.
Oh, he was athletic. He wasn't physically or mentally baffled by the crash and went straight in. Even for the moments leading upto to that moment he kept close to them, except towards the very end and that saved him. He never gave up and when the moment presented itself he grabbed it. He wanted to skate well and be his own competition and that he did. And got a gold along with it
he really is a national treasure
One of the greatest sporting tacticians to have lived.
You don't need to lead from the start, you just make sure you never fall.
That's the lead at it's finest
We love you mate
He strategized a win. Awesome
The training to get that point and to make it to the final. You go on and win a gold medal. That's no fluke. You are a absolute legend my friend..👍
Not the strongest maybe.But on that day he was the best.He did the smart thing and was rewarded rightly so.
It's not his fault the others fucked up, Bradbury just capitalized on their mistakes. He didn't break any rules. Bradbury is the rightful Gold Medalist of that event.
This is one of the most awesome and funniest things I have ever seen. He knows he won by default kuz eveyone fell but you can tell how happy he is kuz he did win gold fair and square hahah :D
Winning by default implies no one else raced.
story's like this is amazing I love when the underdogs win God bless that man
"Doing a Bradbury" has becoming part of the Aussie Lexicon ever since and I use it many times.
I must say that I def feel that you were the strongest that day. You raced they fell over you absolutely deserve to win. You were the strongest that day. Congratulations
way I see it is ....one guy skated the entire race .... four other guys slid 60 feet on their latex covered arses...he deserved that gold medal .....not them
So legendary that coming from behind in anything to win - " doing a Bradbury " is part of our lexicon.
he was lucky to even get in the semi finals and then was lucky to make it to the final
and then won GOLD
WTF did this man do to get this amount of luck
He suffered through career-threatening injuries, that's what he did. 2002 rewarded his determination and intelligence.
I love him!!
What a Legend
Best gold medal win I've ever seen, never forget it. Well done to the Aussie, LOL
He deserved to win. The main point to consider here is that it is not just about being strongest skater. He outsmarted the rest of the competitors in the finals and his tactic paid off 👌🏼
2002: Year of sporting miracles. South Korea to semis of the WC, Bradbury winning Australia’s first ever gold medal in unprecedented fashion
Love it!!!!
he has a good karma :p
Genious!