The incredible story of Steven Bradbury, the least expected gold medalist in Winter Olympics history.

The name of steven bradbury it probably goes almost unnoticed in South America. However, in Australia, he is a celebrity with the accents of a national hero.

And it is that the ex-specialist in speed skating reached the top of the world in 2002, against all odds, winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. A trophy that neither he nor his coach expected to win.

It was Australia’s first gold medal in this competition. Therefore, his status as a national idol is not in doubt.

In fact, he was included in the Australian Sports Hall of Fame and the Postal Service launched a stamp dedicated to him, the official website of the association recalls. International Olympic Committee.

But how does someone who doesn’t have enough athletic talent end up being crowned the best of them all? Good luck, some would say. And yes, there was enough in that feat. But in this way there was also a double strategy, something that some tend to leave in the background.

The most unexpected medal in history

In Salta Lake, Steven did not arrive in his best condition. At 28 years old and with several body injuries, he arrived at the meeting expecting to win the first round of the 1000 meters. It was his big goal. From then on, everything would be profit.

As expected, Bradbury managed to navigate the opener. He won his series and qualified for the quarter-finals, where a “giant” of the scene was already waiting for him, the current world champion, Canadian Mark Gagnon.

Gagnon was the favorite for this second run and he reflected it on the track. He won and American Apolo Anton Ohno finished second. With that, Steven, who was third, said goodbye to the event as only the top two qualify. However, Gagnon was penalized for an obstruction motion. and Bradbury received a miracle. The first of many.

In the semi-finals, the prospects were even more complicated for Bradbury. Kim Dong-Sung (Korea), Satoru Terao (Japan), Li Jianjun (China) and Mathie Turcotte (Canada) would be their opponents for the two places in the final.

Aware that he was neither faster than his rivals nor better technically, Steven Bradbury and his trainer came up with a “crazy” strategy: walk away from the group and skate, hoping their rivals will fall or be disqualified.

Incredibly, Bradbury’s plan worked perfectly. A competitor fell in the middle of the race and, on the last lap, two others collided and fell to the ground. Thus, he was able to defeat them to the limit and settled into the grand final for the medals.

Due to the success in ‘seeding’, the athlete and his TD decided to repeat the way of approaching the race. And though it sounded like a supernatural tale, the tactic has come true again, but now in an even more extraordinary way.

This time around the final corner, and with Bradbury well out of the fight, Steven’s four contenders crashed into each other. Yes, as you read, they all fell to the ground and the Australian managed to pass them to win. A madness.

For everything that happened, Bradbury was dubbed the ‘accidental hero’, as he remembers Australian Government Sports Commission portal.

“The gold medal came after three rounds of racing in which his competitors stumbled, fell and were disqualified around him, prompting him to be dubbed ‘the accidental hero’.”

On this day 20 years ago… 🔙

Steven Bradbury won Australia’s first-ever game #Gold medal at the Winter Olympics! ⛸@SteveBradbury73 | @AUSOlympicTeam pic.twitter.com/K1EvnE1elO

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) February 16, 2022

“I will accept this gold medal, but not for these 90 seconds of racing”

Although he got more than he ever wanted, Steven Bradbury always kept his feet on the ground.

Proof of this is that the Australian was hesitant to receive the award after the competition, as he knew there were other competitors who deserved it far more than him.

“I will accept this gold medal, but not for those 90 seconds of racing, but for the 14 years of hard work behind it all,” express.

When asked why he wasn’t so thrilled with his win, Steven explained that “considering the way I won the race, I wasn’t going to be the guy to throw my fists up. I just raised my arms in disbelief.”

Returning to his homeland after the appointment to the rings, Bradbury surprised the fans and decided to immediately announce his retirement from professional sports activity. I didn’t need more.

‘Dancing with the Stars’, Olympic commentator and motivational speaker

After his farewell, Steven Bradbury began his television career.

In 2005, he took part in the TV show “Dancing with the Stars”, where he was the first to be eliminated from the second season.

Later, he was the star of Australian public television sports programming for the 2006 and 2010 Games.

Currently, at 49, Bradbury is one hundred percent dedicated to being a motivational speaker, as he mentions. your website.