When asked if he deserved gold he said "I'm not taking it for that 90 secs, I'm taking it for the 15 years of training, the broken neck, for the time I almost bled to death on the ice."
As far as I’m concerned this is a completely legitimate win! He put in the hard work to make the olympics, and make the final. He analysed what could happen and chose the strategy. He could have chosen to go all out so that people said ‘well he didn’t win but look at how hard he tried’. But he chose a tactic that he felt would optimise his chances of moving up the field and he chose the right one! Good for him!
Yeah- he'd been around enough to know that there was a good chance he could medal just by staying away from any train wrecks. He didn't expect gold, but he was definitely strategic- so legit
Lets not forget his years of consistently high level international competition before this, he was in the final ... final, you dont get there on chance alone.
His book is inspiring and it's opened my eyes to rethink the win as not only a success on that day but also a testament to the path he traveled and what he overcame to get there.
Indeed he was the absolute best man in the race, previous merrits aside, the fundamental thing you need to do to win is to not fall over, he did not the others did he is thus the best man in the race, at the moment, and it is the moment that counts, a grat gold that I enjoyed seeing anf repeat seeing as a lover of winter olympics and from a "winter country" my self I can not fault him for being able to stand among "champions" that fell.
never met him but every story I have ever heard about him tell the same thing, he is just the sweetest, decent, humble and very funny character, so to be out their in an age of you cant pick your nose without someone writing about, tweeting etc. Tells me that it is true he is a beautiful man, with a very kind soul x
No matter how many people disregard this achievement, he made it to the Olympics final. You can't get there by piloting an armchair. The dude has talent.
@@i8jaffas how difficult is it to check over what you have just written? And what gets me is that nobody points it out, instead they hit the like button. They must be shallow people like yourself.
@@jadecawdellsmith4009 now let's get something straight here. I was simply poking fun at someone's comment for an obvious typo/auto correct (and I was fully aware of this). You, a complete stranger to this person, call me an arse and a douche bag... and you think this is okay. I suggest you watch your manners and that mouth of yours. You most certainly wouldn't say it to my face, I would swiftly put you in your place in this land of equality that we all suddenly live in.
Yep! Every racer knows it. You can have the fastest car, the fastest bike, the fastest runner, but none of that matters a damn if you don't get to the line first.
Doing a Bradbury is said with respect. It's a joke but said with absolute awe at what he managed to do, and he was so good humoured and humble about it, despite working so damned hard to get there. We tend to take the piss when we like you and when we don't like you, slightly different intonations and contexts to how we do it.
If Aussies call you all sorts of names and are constantly “hanging shit” on you, you know they like you. If we’re consistently polite to you, it means we don’t like you.
or you cruise along, make it look like you are not really trying and still come first. But Bradbury was trying extremely talented just made it look like it was a walk in the park! awesome awesome dude x
There is Buckley's chance, after a convict escapee who lived with Aboriginals or Buckleys and Nunn, a Melbourne department store, taken over by Davey Jones.
yeah, but "doing a bradbury" almost completely takes away from all the effort he put in up to that point. He put in all the hard yards for years to get onto the starting line for that race...and that race is what he's known for. It's almost insulting, that an accident moved his chances of winning from "possible" to "dead certainty" It's a bit sad that "doing a bradbury" made all the hard work invisible. It was by accident that he won "that race", but it was no accident that he was there to compete in that race
He is the typical aussie battler, that after struggling for so long, he finally reaches and achieves his dream! and to me thats Gold! (meaning lesson not the actual medal lol)
I heard an interview of him once saying that he didn't accept the medal for the 3 minutes of the race or the semifinals leading up but fir the lifetime of hardwork, sacrifices and setbacks he and his family endured.
Yeah apparently he was legitimately one of the favourites going into Nagano but had collisions in the heats of both his individual events and didn’t progress. Then in 2000 he did that back injury and was told he would never race again, so just making it to the 2002 games was basically a victory in and of itself. The fact that’s the sports gods had his back at the games was just a bonus I think
Steve did the work, and probably trained with as much dedication as the others out on the ice that day. He wasn't a no hoper. Sure, maybe hope got him there, but he showed us all that there is ALWAYS hope.
People make jokes or says it is a fluke. But at the end of the day he was the only one left on his feet and crossed the finish line first it was a legitimate win and he earned it.
Steven Bradbury’s win was deserved in ever sense. Instead of looking at the fallen, measure the time between the first and last skaters. Bradbury was a world class skater. … and a great guy.
Steve was a motivational speaker at one of my company conferences several years ago. When I first heard he was speaking, my first thought was wtf? But his story and message was actually incredible, he spoke to perseverance and hard work, and if you don’t have those then you will never get yourself into a position to have that lucky break. People always focus on this one lucky break that he had, but always fail to consider all the hard work and dedication that went into getting him to the Olympic in the first place. His message was something like success is 99% hard work and 1% luck. His message is actually one of the only ones from several speakers I’ve heard at conferences, that has actually stuck with me. I got to have a brief chat with him and he seems like a really nice bloke as well. Aussie icon!
He claims that he knew he couldn’t match the pace in an out and out sprint to the finish and deliberately stayed out of it - but keeping in touch, hoping for just such a happening. Good strategy.
This was an utter wonder! Not just the semis and final, the same thing happened in the heat before the semis - this happened three times in a row, and in the last all but him were wiped out. Bradbury is an absolute treasure! Some say it was just luck; no, it was years of hard work, perseverance, smarts, and luck! Lady Luck found him worthy... ✌️😄
I believe it was his coach who first proposed hanging back in the races as a strategy, and Stephen figured he had nothing to lose. His coach had been studying the form of previous events and also keenly observing the higher than usual level of aggression some of the favourites were employing and deduced there would likely be some falls with them trying to take each other out. When it worked in the heats they decided to continue with it and see how far they could go. As it turns out, they could take it all the way to the gold medal. Going into the final they figured at least two of the skaters would crash out, thus gifting Stephen with the bronze, but even they didn't conceive that ALL the skaters except Stephen would crash. It was a genius strategy in hindsight, and even they admitted it worked far better than they could have ever expected.
@@woopimagpie Yeah he was hoping upon hope that he would at least medal from it, I think he would have been ecstatic if he got a bronze, but he was in utter shock that he actually got gold lol. But he 100 deserves it.
I believe that when he was recovering from his injuries, he started manufacturing speed skates. I think a number of gold medalists won using his skates.
Rob: "I'm a lawn bowls player" Me: "Not many films about lawn bowls. Have you ever watched 'Crackerjack'? It's about 'lawn bowls', sort of. Well, it's about a lawn bowls club with money troubles"
Last man standing is a legit tactic and it worked for Bradbury. I'm pleased the featured video focused on his perseverance, dedication and talent. The guy was a world-class skater. He earned his gold. Aussies love a winner. We love an underdog. And we love a decent sort. Bradbury is all three.
Absolutely. Ask most Aussies to name an athlete that won a medal in the last Olympics. They might be able to pluck a name or two, usually the high profile stars from swimming or they might not remember any of them once the immediacy of the event is over. But here, everybody knows Bradbury. Decades after the event, everyone knows the story. The man is down to earth and humble, but the story is legend.
As an Aussie...Chills! Brilliant tactics, he did the same thing in the Semi...He was ranked in top 10 for 12 years. I see the term as a little tongue in cheek in the Aussie humour, not derogatory in anyway, describes someone who despite the hurdles and little chance of success, just stuck at it, kept going, worked hard, had a bit of luck go their way and succeeded!
I was given corporate tickets to a sporting event and got to meet Bradbury in the weeks after his achievement. He was a humble guy just enjoying his moment in the sun and his achievement. Everybody loved him, people bypassed other celebrities to be near him. I think he was so relatable because he encapsulated what it meant to be good in your field but not the best, but for once getting recognition and reward for all your hard work. A distinct difference from being totally undeserved.
A few weeks after he won, my brother and I were on Hamilton island in QLD. We saw Steve and a friend walking down to the water. As we got really close to him my brother deliberately tripped over my feet right in front of him. He laughed and took it in the right way it was intended. Any one who can make an Olympic final has some serious talent.
That is gold. (pun not intended) He is actually a pretty chill bloke (also not intended lol) I heard that he saved 4 kids from drowning when they got caught in a rip current. What a legend.
One of, if not the most iconic moment in Australian olympic history. Take nothing away from him. He overcame injury, did the hard yards to get to the final, kept upright and crossed the line first 🏆.
I still remember watching this live and screaming "oh my god" when he cruised over the line for gold, you just couldn't make this stuff up, what a legend, good on ya Bradbury 👏
My dad was a speed skater and icehockey player in the 40s. He sold his skates and his stamp collection to buy a engagement ring for my mum. We have a lot of snow along the ranges which run right along the east coast of the country.
Part of the skill of the sport is not falling over, he did that and won. Knowing that there is a good chance of someone falling and being ready to take advantage of it, is a fair tactic.
It takes years of experience to learn that you just need to hang back and let the younger ones, who have written you off and are full of ego, competitiveness and a bit of arrogance, jostle it out and take each other down and you just quietly move into first place.
Mostly "Doing a Bradbury" is a slightly incredulous compliment in it's tone. As for ice and winter sports. Australia has an active and popular snow skiing region in the south east of the continent. There are ice rinks everywhere that are still popular with young and old. I have one about 1 km from my house. We do have LESS winter type activities, but not none. Stephen Bradbury is legendary!
He does motivational speaking these days. I was at an event when he spoke, and he’s said at first he was a bit embarrassed getting up their accepting the Gold medal, but thought to himself this is a career achievement, about 10 years earlier he was a favourite for world championships but accidents like this took him out. only about 2 years earlier he was in an accident that nearly killed him, everyone told him to retire your best is well behind you, but something told him to get back up and make one last olympics. He stood up there and proudly accepted the Gold medal as a career achievement.
Cricket... for some reason, we seem to do well at this game that the English had invented. We have more snow, in our snow season, than the Alps in Europe. Swimming... for some reason we seem to do pretty good at swimming. I think that it's our natural reaction to swimming in the ocean and having a bloody huge noah's ark rolling up behind you.
Doing a Bradbury is now part of the Aussie vernacular. I watched that final race on TV and the 2 favorites were trying to beat each other instead of trying to win the race, so they both missed out. It serves themselves right Bradbury deserved to win that race as the 2 favorites were victims of their own selfishness, they forgot the story about the rabbit and the hare
It's hard to think of a bigger underdog victory than this. Once Australia realised what had happened, and learned about what Stephen went through to get there... well, we were all in shock. It was all anyone talked about at work the next day. I still tear up whenever I see this. Truly one of the greatest moments in Olympic history.
what is meant for you wont pass you by ,,, you could argue tactics as much as you can luck..... man served his time, did the work and earned his medal.... good on him ....
One of the greatest story of success. You first got to have that burning desire, then put in the hard work with the determination to overcome set backs. To put yourself in a position to grab that opportunity even though you might not be the fastest or strongest. When you put yourself in that position and with a little help from lady you are the one standing on the top of the mountain. Hats off to the man.
He played the mind game and won. Not to belittle the win, either, but he was in the final, effectively one of the very best in the world, coming from a summer country. He deserved that win, and that place in history.
@@Bucketcity126 YEP.....it's a bit if a technicality but there are quite a few things on you tube about them. I lived in Darwin for a time meself...ah the Vic...memories....
As a teen, in Brisbane, I'd go iceskating nearly every Friday and Saturday night, then go watch the ice hockey on a Sunday. Many people at my school were into the ice sports including figure skating Toombul Ice Skating rink was just a 20 minute train ride away. :)
'I'm not running behind or running late, I'm not standing still, I am lying in wait' - Hamilton musical...... perfectly sums up Bradbury. Love this moment
I've done a couple of "Bradbury's" in my time. It is painful to admit to your self sometimes that you probably were not good enough for the goal you were aiming at. However, in Steve's case, he clearly was - he just chose to hang back. Just like car racing drivers make decisions with tyres, etc., and other sporting heroes make decisions about their performance. What is great also is that "doing a Bradbury" has entered our vocabulary over here and when you admit to mates that you have, they don't look down on you. You can almost wear it as a badge of honour. Especially when regaling the story at the pub! Everybody is chuffed! Because you admitted you stuffed it and could admit it, yet you triumphed! Who in their life doesn't want that accolade?
You must be very self confident to proclaim that you have done a couple of Bradburys in your time. And you realise that your rather long winded comment may have an effect that diminishes Steven's achievement? I mean we wouldn't want to move the limelight off of the topic at hand now would we.
@@arconeagain LOL. No we wouldn't. That was not my intent at all. I don't see my 'Bradbury's' doing that. As I aluded to: my Bradbury's were not necessarily due much to my own skill, although truth be told, there is an element of that in each case, but as in Steve's case, there was much background training, education and skill that ultimately brought me to a point where that little bit of luck did help as well. Have I been an olympian, No. Of course not. But I have accomplished much. I am not going to blow my own trumpet here, but yes I can say, with as much humility as possible, that with all my training, education and experience in a number of different fields, that I do possess a level of confidence that few understand and know. Whilst I probably should feel that I should apologise to you for what must seem like arrogance, the fact is I don't feel no need to apologise to you for having lived an exceptional life to date. I have been very lucky that the Lord has allowed me to accomplished all the things I have done and experienced in my life. It has not been without trouble and tribulation. Nonetheless, I will go on, striving...and failing as most humans do. I will continue to help those around me, even if that gives me cause to fail yet again. It's the way I am. However, what I do will make little difference to you, as you don't know me. Why should I apologise for that, or if that sentiment hurts you. If Steven Bradbury feels I have belittle his accomplishment, then he can contact me here and I will apologise to him, after I tell him about my life, If he feels he still needs that apology, then so be it.
Fun Facts: Refrigeration was invented in Australia in 1854 and the first ice rink was opened in 1904 in Adelaide. Australia has been represented at every Winter Olympics since 1936, except for 1948.
I can understand why most people think ‘Australia = hot’ cause yeah we’ve got tropical areas, sub tropical areas, grass lands and desert but we do get snow especially in the southern states and in mountainous areas. In fact the Australian Alps get more snow per year than the Swiss Alps.
Met him a few years ago when he came into my bolt and tool work place in Brisbane, there was a horse in Oz called Bradbury's luck and it won a few races.
I saw this event live on the television, like basically every event, that year. I was quietly rooting for him all the way through. We love underdog stories. He earned that medal though. Short track speed skating is an event with a lot of falling and disqualifying with an extremely competitive field. You have to be in it to win it. He stayed at the back, knowing that at any time one or more of them could fall or maybe get a DQ. Stay out of the melee and you move up a spot. What makes the whole story even better is that he basically did the same in the quarter final and the semi final. Stay far away enough to stay out of the heat of the battle and stay close enough to punish any mistake they make. An absolute legend.
My wife was a figure skater at the same ice rink with him and they were friends. The hours and hours each day he put in to training was incredible. He knew he was never going to win this event if it came down to speed alone because he was the senior statesman of short track speed skating. He made a strategic decision based on his knowledge of the sport and his competitors. After he won, he agonised over whether he should take the medal. He decided to not because of that race but because of the decade and a half of dedication he showed. BTW when he was impaled on that skate he lost three litres of blood and was as close to death as you can be.
I never knew that Bradbury was part of the team that gave Australia our first winter Olympic medal. He's got a bronze and a gold and he deserves them both. We still say 'doing a Bradbury' when someone flukes it in.
Stephen won that fair and square....he knew what he was doing and he made us Aussies so proud that day. Still a highlight of those games and no-one can take that away from him. He worked just as hard, if not harder than those other guys because he had the lowest odds of winning but God damn, that smile of his at the end of the race shone just as bright as that gold medal. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi
As a short track speed skater myself. I can tell you about the feeling of getting taken out by others who crash. It's gutting. But you have to put yourself over it. This one gold medal is inspiration for me because it shows the nature of our sport. Everything is possible! Though with current rules it will be more difficult technically you can still do it! (I'd love to chat rules&tactics some day) Great vid!
I still to this day remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when this happened. Was drunk with a mate at a friend's house at something like 4am... We woke up the whole house with our shouting!
I think you got the meaning of the whole thing . So many people say he just got lucky and they discount the hard work he had to do to get there . He was also smart about it and let the others dook it out looking for his chance . Superior tactics if you asked me and well deserved.
I watched this live on TV. It was one of top 3 Greatest moments in sport that I have ever seen. Secondly "This is still about Bradbury" Australia won two golds in one day. Alyssa Camplin was the second, In her post event "Gold medal" winning interview on TV she was informed that she had won Australia's second Gold Medal, She was stunned. Her face when she was told about this in the interview was one of "Delight". She totally respected Bradbury's long time efforts and got just as excited for "Steven's win" as everyone else did in Australia did.
It doesn't get shown in this video but the other skaters congratulated him they had no hard feelings that he won. It part of that sport and they accepted it straight away.
No one blamed or argued against Steven, but i heard there was some uproar from the other teams' against each other for whose fault it was for causing the crash and how the placement of 2nd and 3rd should be upheld.
Stephen was a great competitor and deserved to stand on the dias and be celebrated Great personal achievement and Aussie's loved it and remember it with pride and also good humour 🙂
It's easy to just see this as a bit of a laugh, a lucky break. I'm glad I watched this vid, as now I appreciate he was a genuine athlete who actually worked his ar*e off to get to this final and be in a position to win a medal.
“Pulling a Bradbury” is now even in the Australian vernacular slang book. Not only was he deserved to be in that race, but to finish 1st you must 1st finish. Side note, I believe most if not all other competitors in that final were wearing skates made by Bradbury.
When asked if he deserved gold he said "I'm not taking it for that 90 secs, I'm taking it for the 15 years of training, the broken neck, for the time I almost bled to death on the ice."
As far as I’m concerned this is a completely legitimate win! He put in the hard work to make the olympics, and make the final. He analysed what could happen and chose the strategy. He could have chosen to go all out so that people said ‘well he didn’t win but look at how hard he tried’. But he chose a tactic that he felt would optimise his chances of moving up the field and he chose the right one! Good for him!
Yeah- he'd been around enough to know that there was a good chance he could medal just by staying away from any train wrecks. He didn't expect gold, but he was definitely strategic- so legit
Slow and steady wins the race.
Lets not forget his years of consistently high level international competition before this, he was in the final ... final, you dont get there on chance alone.
His book is inspiring and it's opened my eyes to rethink the win as not only a success on that day but also a testament to the path he traveled and what he overcame to get there.
Indeed he was the absolute best man in the race, previous merrits aside, the fundamental thing you need to do to win is to not fall over, he did not the others did he is thus the best man in the race, at the moment, and it is the moment that counts, a grat gold that I enjoyed seeing anf repeat seeing as a lover of winter olympics and from a "winter country" my self I can not fault him for being able to stand among "champions" that fell.
And, to top it all off, Stephen Bradbury is a genuinely decent, humble, funny guy.
never met him but every story I have ever heard about him tell the same thing, he is just the sweetest, decent, humble and very funny character, so to be out their in an age of you cant pick your nose without someone writing about, tweeting etc. Tells me that it is true he is a beautiful man, with a very kind soul x
No matter how many people disregard this achievement, he made it to the Olympics final. You can't get there by piloting an armchair. The dude has talent.
The did has talent? Did I miss something, like an evolution in the English language? What on earth are you trying to say?
@@arconeagain how about instead of being an arse you kindly assume it was an auto correct failure and they meant "the dude has talent".
@@i8jaffas how difficult is it to check over what you have just written? And what gets me is that nobody points it out, instead they hit the like button. They must be shallow people like yourself.
@@arconeagain no they aren't shallow, they just aren't pedantic douchebags that think they are the grammar police.
@@jadecawdellsmith4009 now let's get something straight here. I was simply poking fun at someone's comment for an obvious typo/auto correct (and I was fully aware of this). You, a complete stranger to this person, call me an arse and a douche bag... and you think this is okay. I suggest you watch your manners and that mouth of yours. You most certainly wouldn't say it to my face, I would swiftly put you in your place in this land of equality that we all suddenly live in.
As the saying goes "to finish first, first you have to finish" and that's what happened.
Yep! Every racer knows it. You can have the fastest car, the fastest bike, the fastest runner, but none of that matters a damn if you don't get to the line first.
Doing a Bradbury is said with respect. It's a joke but said with absolute awe at what he managed to do, and he was so good humoured and humble about it, despite working so damned hard to get there. We tend to take the piss when we like you and when we don't like you, slightly different intonations and contexts to how we do it.
That's the key.... Steve is very humble and well humored about it. And people respect him for it..
If Aussies call you all sorts of names and are constantly “hanging shit” on you, you know they like you. If we’re consistently polite to you, it means we don’t like you.
"Doing a Bradbury" is more about finally winning against all odds, just when it looks like all your hard work will go unrewarded.
Well earned!
or you cruise along, make it look like you are not really trying and still come first. But Bradbury was trying extremely talented just made it look like it was a walk in the park! awesome awesome dude x
"Doing a bradbury" is right up there with the classic Australian saying of "Buckley's and none"
There is Buckley's chance, after a convict escapee who lived with Aboriginals or Buckleys and Nunn, a Melbourne department store, taken over by Davey Jones.
Buckley's chance.
@@arconeagain Not Happy Jan
@@jimspink2922 I do not see how a phrase from a Yellow Pages ad has any relevance here sorry.
Im australian and I've never heard of buckleys and none
Australia saw his 'win' as reward for his entire career....one of persistence, courage and perseverance. It was beautiful!!! Great video Rob.
Don't misread the tone, I don't know of anyone who thinks "Doing a Bradbury" is a slight on this icon.
yeah, but "doing a bradbury" almost completely takes away from all the effort he put in up to that point. He put in all the hard yards for years to get onto the starting line for that race...and that race is what he's known for. It's almost insulting, that an accident moved his chances of winning from "possible" to "dead certainty"
It's a bit sad that "doing a bradbury" made all the hard work invisible. It was by accident that he won "that race", but it was no accident that he was there to compete in that race
@@Hugin-N-Munin ive always thought he deserved to win and showed the most determination by not falling
I always thought it quintessential Aussie, " Yeah, let them buggers fight it out and I'll pick up the pieces " !
I never heard it being said in a negative way, Every one loves Steven Bradbury. and to do a Bradbury to me against all odds you land on your feet! x
He is the typical aussie battler, that after struggling for so long, he finally reaches and achieves his dream! and to me thats Gold! (meaning lesson not the actual medal lol)
I heard an interview of him once saying that he didn't accept the medal for the 3 minutes of the race or the semifinals leading up but fir the lifetime of hardwork, sacrifices and setbacks he and his family endured.
His story is sooo much more than this , it's really a good story of perseverance. He made himself immortal in Australia
Yeah apparently he was legitimately one of the favourites going into Nagano but had collisions in the heats of both his individual events and didn’t progress. Then in 2000 he did that back injury and was told he would never race again, so just making it to the 2002 games was basically a victory in and of itself.
The fact that’s the sports gods had his back at the games was just a bonus I think
Brilliant moment in Aussie sporting history. Will never forget watching it. Was so happy for him... after I stopped screaming
The man is my hero and embodies; to finish first, first you must finish.
Ultimate example of TENACITY & never giving up
Steve did the work, and probably trained with as much dedication as the others out on the ice that day. He wasn't a no hoper. Sure, maybe hope got him there, but he showed us all that there is ALWAYS hope.
The best part is his attitude towards his win, he's such a good sport about it and isn't afraid to crack a joke about it all.
He just wanted a place. One of the greatest sporting moments I’ve ever witnessed
People make jokes or says it is a fluke. But at the end of the day he was the only one left on his feet and crossed the finish line first it was a legitimate win and he earned it.
It's the old motorsport adage - to finish first, first you have to finish.
This bloke!! Absolutely amazing!! Wouldn’t have been in the finals if he wasn’t capable of winning the finals. Top bloke!
Steven Bradbury’s win was deserved in ever sense. Instead of looking at the fallen, measure the time between the first and last skaters. Bradbury was a world class skater. … and a great guy.
Steve was a motivational speaker at one of my company conferences several years ago. When I first heard he was speaking, my first thought was wtf? But his story and message was actually incredible, he spoke to perseverance and hard work, and if you don’t have those then you will never get yourself into a position to have that lucky break. People always focus on this one lucky break that he had, but always fail to consider all the hard work and dedication that went into getting him to the Olympic in the first place.
His message was something like success is 99% hard work and 1% luck.
His message is actually one of the only ones from several speakers I’ve heard at conferences, that has actually stuck with me. I got to have a brief chat with him and he seems like a really nice bloke as well. Aussie icon!
I was watching these races. My whole house was screaming "GO, YOU BASTARD, YOU CAN DO IT" when everyone else fell over in the final.
He claims that he knew he couldn’t match the pace in an out and out sprint to the finish and deliberately stayed out of it - but keeping in touch, hoping for just such a happening. Good strategy.
Well it worked, not only did he medal, he got the gold medal :D
Oh it's still delightful after all these years lol! Brilliant! He's a typical down to earth Aussie. Humble and low key.
This was an utter wonder! Not just the semis and final, the same thing happened in the heat before the semis - this happened three times in a row, and in the last all but him were wiped out. Bradbury is an absolute treasure!
Some say it was just luck; no, it was years of hard work, perseverance, smarts, and luck! Lady Luck found him worthy... ✌️😄
You know the saying, "You make your own luck"
@@ozzymick1431 Exactly so!
He had a lot of bad luck before that event and eventually his luck turned
I believe it was his coach who first proposed hanging back in the races as a strategy, and Stephen figured he had nothing to lose. His coach had been studying the form of previous events and also keenly observing the higher than usual level of aggression some of the favourites were employing and deduced there would likely be some falls with them trying to take each other out. When it worked in the heats they decided to continue with it and see how far they could go. As it turns out, they could take it all the way to the gold medal. Going into the final they figured at least two of the skaters would crash out, thus gifting Stephen with the bronze, but even they didn't conceive that ALL the skaters except Stephen would crash. It was a genius strategy in hindsight, and even they admitted it worked far better than they could have ever expected.
@@woopimagpie Yeah he was hoping upon hope that he would at least medal from it, I think he would have been ecstatic if he got a bronze, but he was in utter shock that he actually got gold lol. But he 100 deserves it.
I believe that when he was recovering from his injuries, he started manufacturing speed skates. I think a number of gold medalists won using his skates.
Apollo Ohno was wearing Bradbury skates in this very race!
@@walover165 so is this race what inspired that song that is so often repeated across TH-cam - "Oh no, Ohno..."?
Did not know that! What an amazing bit of trivia!
He had provided them for free hoping for good publicity.
Rob: "I'm a lawn bowls player"
Me: "Not many films about lawn bowls. Have you ever watched 'Crackerjack'? It's about 'lawn bowls', sort of. Well, it's about a lawn bowls club with money troubles"
I have seen Crackerjack. Also there is BlackBall which is english
Absolute Aussie legend, worked his arse off and earned his place in the record books, nothing but respect.
Last man standing is a legit tactic and it worked for Bradbury.
I'm pleased the featured video focused on his perseverance, dedication and talent. The guy was a world-class skater. He earned his gold.
Aussies love a winner. We love an underdog. And we love a decent sort. Bradbury is all three.
Absolutely. Ask most Aussies to name an athlete that won a medal in the last Olympics. They might be able to pluck a name or two, usually the high profile stars from swimming or they might not remember any of them once the immediacy of the event is over. But here, everybody knows Bradbury. Decades after the event, everyone knows the story. The man is down to earth and humble, but the story is legend.
As an Aussie...Chills! Brilliant tactics, he did the same thing in the Semi...He was ranked in top 10 for 12 years. I see the term as a little tongue in cheek in the Aussie humour, not derogatory in anyway, describes someone who despite the hurdles and little chance of success, just stuck at it, kept going, worked hard, had a bit of luck go their way and succeeded!
I was given corporate tickets to a sporting event and got to meet Bradbury in the weeks after his achievement. He was a humble guy just enjoying his moment in the sun and his achievement. Everybody loved him, people bypassed other celebrities to be near him. I think he was so relatable because he encapsulated what it meant to be good in your field but not the best, but for once getting recognition and reward for all your hard work. A distinct difference from being totally undeserved.
A few weeks after he won, my brother and I were on Hamilton island in QLD. We saw Steve and a friend walking down to the water. As we got really close to him my brother deliberately tripped over my feet right in front of him. He laughed and took it in the right way it was intended. Any one who can make an Olympic final has some serious talent.
That is gold. (pun not intended) He is actually a pretty chill bloke (also not intended lol) I heard that he saved 4 kids from drowning when they got caught in a rip current. What a legend.
Doing a Bradbury not only means being lucky and doing something special but also doing the hard work beforehand to be in the position to do it at all
This was no fluke, this was years and years of training and hard work to use his secret ability. Waiting patiently behind the field, ready to strike.
he had an invisible sniper rifle
The fact he was the first Australian to ever win a Winter Olympic Gold Medal, can never be taken away from him.
He was also the first Australian (along with the rest of the relay team) to win any medal at the Winter Olympics several years earlier.
@@waza987 2 awesome records to hold. He is an Australian legend.
the lesson from Steven Bradbury, never stop what you are doing even though your chance are slim, who knows your luck is there
One of, if not the most iconic moment in Australian olympic history. Take nothing away from him. He overcame injury, did the hard yards to get to the final, kept upright and crossed the line first 🏆.
To me, doing a Bradbury means to never give up until the fat lady actually sings.
Bradbury is an Australian hero. No question about it, the country loves this man.
It wasn't luck the others fell over he didn't.
This is where a comma can be really useful.
Still remember the day he won that gold medal a real nail bitter of a race
I still remember watching this live and screaming "oh my god" when he cruised over the line for gold, you just couldn't make this stuff up, what a legend, good on ya Bradbury 👏
He got the Gold because of his tactics , he is a worthy winner of the Gold .
Anyone that says otherwise is a bum and has no clue what they are talking about. He is an Australian Legend.
He deserved that win. His tactics won him the race.
We are not a speed skating country at all.
He is a champion in my books 👍👍👍👍
My dad was a speed skater and icehockey player in the 40s. He sold his skates and his stamp collection to buy a engagement ring for my mum.
We have a lot of snow along the ranges which run right along the east coast of the country.
Part of the skill of the sport is not falling over, he did that and won. Knowing that there is a good chance of someone falling and being ready to take advantage of it, is a fair tactic.
It takes years of experience to learn that you just need to hang back and let the younger ones, who have written you off and are full of ego, competitiveness and a bit of arrogance, jostle it out and take each other down and you just quietly move into first place.
Mostly "Doing a Bradbury" is a slightly incredulous compliment in it's tone. As for ice and winter sports. Australia has an active and popular snow skiing region in the south east of the continent. There are ice rinks everywhere that are still popular with young and old. I have one about 1 km from my house. We do have LESS winter type activities, but not none. Stephen Bradbury is legendary!
He does motivational speaking these days.
I was at an event when he spoke, and he’s said at first he was a bit embarrassed getting up their accepting the Gold medal, but thought to himself this is a career achievement, about 10 years earlier he was a favourite for world championships but accidents like this took him out. only about 2 years earlier he was in an accident that nearly killed him, everyone told him to retire your best is well behind you, but something told him to get back up and make one last olympics. He stood up there and proudly accepted the Gold medal as a career achievement.
We have a saying here now if someone pulls off the impossible. "He's done a Bradbury".
Bradbury's family owned an ice skating rink not far from where I grew up ,ice rinks ain't that normal in AUS
Actually there are quite a lot of them - not as many as roller skating rinks but still a lot…
Cricket... for some reason, we seem to do well at this game that the English had invented.
We have more snow, in our snow season, than the Alps in Europe.
Swimming... for some reason we seem to do pretty good at swimming. I think that it's our natural reaction to swimming in the ocean and having a bloody huge noah's ark rolling up behind you.
Doing a Bradbury is now part of the Aussie vernacular. I watched that final race on TV and the 2 favorites were trying to beat each other instead of trying to win the race, so they both missed out. It serves themselves right Bradbury deserved to win that race as the 2 favorites were victims of their own selfishness, they forgot the story about the rabbit and the hare
It's hard to think of a bigger underdog victory than this. Once Australia realised what had happened, and learned about what Stephen went through to get there... well, we were all in shock. It was all anyone talked about at work the next day. I still tear up whenever I see this. Truly one of the greatest moments in Olympic history.
He paid his dues and did the hard work, without that he would never have been in the race to start with.
Steve is a bloody LEGEND
Bradbury is an Aussie legend. Everyone remembers it; it’s such an iconic moment.
He won it fair and square, the Best on that day, legend, never been prouder of an Aussie athlete
what is meant for you wont pass you by
,,, you could argue tactics as much as you can luck..... man served his time, did the work and earned his medal.... good on him ....
This should be shown in our schools. This is our folklore, the "stuff" of being Australian. To win, simply because you were lucky. I love it.
Steve wasn't "keeping his distance ".... he didn't have the speed of his competitors.... he acknowledges this. I still tear up when I see this 🙃
Speed doesn't matter if you have no control
One of the greatest story of success. You first got to have that burning desire, then put in the hard work with the determination to overcome set backs. To put yourself in a position to grab that opportunity even though you might not be the fastest or strongest. When you put yourself in that position and with a little help from lady you are the one standing on the top of the mountain. Hats off to the man.
"Doing a Bradbury" - is, an Aussie saying!!
Yes haha its the Australian doing a Homer (if u watch the simpsons )
@@crazymusicchick No,its nothing like that. Homer is a fat loser. Bradbury was an Olympian. He won because they fell. They funked up. He didn't.
@@triarb5790 it means to be lucky lol
@@crazymusicchick 'doing a bradbury' doesn't mean to be lucky.
@@crazymusicchick also 'to pull a homer' means to succeed despite idiocy.
1:17
Near fatal encounter underplays how bad it was. He lost 4 Liters of blood.
Same with the high speed collision. He broke his c4 and c5 vertebrate.
He played the mind game and won. Not to belittle the win, either, but he was in the final, effectively one of the very best in the world, coming from a summer country. He deserved that win, and that place in history.
Did you know Darwin has the world's most successful ice hockey team. Yep Darwin where if it's 23C people get hypothermia.
I lived in darwin for 3 years, is this actually true haha?
@@Bucketcity126 YEP.....it's a bit if a technicality but there are quite a few things on you tube about them. I lived in Darwin for a time meself...ah the Vic...memories....
I don't know of any natural ice-skating rinks in Oz, lots of indoor ones.
Antarctica
As a teen, in Brisbane, I'd go iceskating nearly every Friday and Saturday night, then go watch the ice hockey on a Sunday. Many people at my school were into the ice sports including figure skating
Toombul Ice Skating rink was just a 20 minute train ride away. :)
I used to visit the Toombul rink a lot as a kid. Hearing Bradbury's achievements makes me so proud, despite being a horrible skater in my adulthood.
People give him a hard time for that, but he had to make the finals before he won.
He also saved a couple of kids from drowning at the beach this year so he is a real hero aswell.
Steven Bradbury is a top bloke. All that hard work paid off with a Gold Medal. Have to be in it to win it.
This, this is why you never give up or slow down before you cross the finish line, because anything can happen.
'I'm not running behind or running late, I'm not standing still, I am lying in wait' - Hamilton musical...... perfectly sums up Bradbury. Love this moment
I've done a couple of "Bradbury's" in my time. It is painful to admit to your self sometimes that you probably were not good enough for the goal you were aiming at. However, in Steve's case, he clearly was - he just chose to hang back. Just like car racing drivers make decisions with tyres, etc., and other sporting heroes make decisions about their performance. What is great also is that "doing a Bradbury" has entered our vocabulary over here and when you admit to mates that you have, they don't look down on you. You can almost wear it as a badge of honour. Especially when regaling the story at the pub! Everybody is chuffed! Because you admitted you stuffed it and could admit it, yet you triumphed! Who in their life doesn't want that accolade?
You must be very self confident to proclaim that you have done a couple of Bradburys in your time. And you realise that your rather long winded comment may have an effect that diminishes Steven's achievement? I mean we wouldn't want to move the limelight off of the topic at hand now would we.
@@arconeagain LOL. No we wouldn't. That was not my intent at all. I don't see my 'Bradbury's' doing that. As I aluded to: my Bradbury's were not necessarily due much to my own skill, although truth be told, there is an element of that in each case, but as in Steve's case, there was much background training, education and skill that ultimately brought me to a point where that little bit of luck did help as well. Have I been an olympian, No. Of course not. But I have accomplished much. I am not going to blow my own trumpet here, but yes I can say, with as much humility as possible, that with all my training, education and experience in a number of different fields, that I do possess a level of confidence that few understand and know. Whilst I probably should feel that I should apologise to you for what must seem like arrogance, the fact is I don't feel no need to apologise to you for having lived an exceptional life to date. I have been very lucky that the Lord has allowed me to accomplished all the things I have done and experienced in my life. It has not been without trouble and tribulation. Nonetheless, I will go on, striving...and failing as most humans do. I will continue to help those around me, even if that gives me cause to fail yet again. It's the way I am. However, what I do will make little difference to you, as you don't know me. Why should I apologise for that, or if that sentiment hurts you. If Steven Bradbury feels I have belittle his accomplishment, then he can contact me here and I will apologise to him, after I tell him about my life, If he feels he still needs that apology, then so be it.
@@gbsailing9436 you took that exceptionally well. Your positivity is like poison to a troll.
@@arconeagain Thank you. What's that saying..." The Truth Hurts".
Fun Facts: Refrigeration was invented in Australia in 1854 and the first ice rink was opened in 1904 in Adelaide. Australia has been represented at every Winter Olympics since 1936, except for 1948.
I can understand why most people think ‘Australia = hot’ cause yeah we’ve got tropical areas, sub tropical areas, grass lands and desert but we do get snow especially in the southern states and in mountainous areas. In fact the Australian Alps get more snow per year than the Swiss Alps.
It gets cold in Victoria, the ACT , NSW and Tassie during the winter months, even have ski slopes
Met him a few years ago when he came into my bolt and tool work place in Brisbane, there was a horse in Oz called Bradbury's luck and it won a few races.
The beauty of sport!! How befitting to name your autobiography "Last Man Standing"
I saw this event live on the television, like basically every event, that year. I was quietly rooting for him all the way through. We love underdog stories. He earned that medal though. Short track speed skating is an event with a lot of falling and disqualifying with an extremely competitive field. You have to be in it to win it. He stayed at the back, knowing that at any time one or more of them could fall or maybe get a DQ. Stay out of the melee and you move up a spot. What makes the whole story even better is that he basically did the same in the quarter final and the semi final. Stay far away enough to stay out of the heat of the battle and stay close enough to punish any mistake they make. An absolute legend.
I met him at school after the olympics he is a motivational speaker ...he was amazing to listen to
I love the saying and say it all the time 🤣
To put in perspective how we feel about him, the man probably hasn't paid for a beer since.
Check out another Australian legend of sport called Cliff Young.
YES!.... I forgot about Old Cliff
Yes yes yes old cliffy the legend
everybodies shuffling
He was such a gem 💞
Yeah I met him - he’s completely down to earth
There's only one point in a race where it matters who is coming first.
My wife was a figure skater at the same ice rink with him and they were friends. The hours and hours each day he put in to training was incredible. He knew he was never going to win this event if it came down to speed alone because he was the senior statesman of short track speed skating. He made a strategic decision based on his knowledge of the sport and his competitors. After he won, he agonised over whether he should take the medal. He decided to not because of that race but because of the decade and a half of dedication he showed. BTW when he was impaled on that skate he lost three litres of blood and was as close to death as you can be.
I never knew that Bradbury was part of the team that gave Australia our first winter Olympic medal. He's got a bronze and a gold and he deserves them both. We still say 'doing a Bradbury' when someone flukes it in.
Steve is a bloody Aussie Legend.
Stephen won that fair and square....he knew what he was doing and he made us Aussies so proud that day. Still a highlight of those games and no-one can take that away from him. He worked just as hard, if not harder than those other guys because he had the lowest odds of winning but God damn, that smile of his at the end of the race shone just as bright as that gold medal. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi
As a short track speed skater myself. I can tell you about the feeling of getting taken out by others who crash. It's gutting. But you have to put yourself over it. This one gold medal is inspiration for me because it shows the nature of our sport. Everything is possible! Though with current rules it will be more difficult technically you can still do it! (I'd love to chat rules&tactics some day)
Great vid!
This was for the gold medal. He also did what the other people didn’t. Stayed on his feet. We love him
Your overall reinvestment into sports in general is fantastic.
I still to this day remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when this happened. Was drunk with a mate at a friend's house at something like 4am... We woke up the whole house with our shouting!
Thus the saying goes.
Doing a Bradbury
When one comes from last or near last to win 🤣
I think its in the urban dictionary even lol
I think you got the meaning of the whole thing . So many people say he just got lucky and they discount the hard work he had to do to get there . He was also smart about it and let the others dook it out looking for his chance . Superior tactics if you asked me and well deserved.
I watched this live on TV. It was one of top 3 Greatest moments in sport that I have ever seen. Secondly "This is still about Bradbury" Australia won two golds in one day. Alyssa Camplin was the second, In her post event "Gold medal" winning interview on TV she was informed that she had won Australia's second Gold Medal, She was stunned. Her face when she was told about this in the interview was one of "Delight". She totally respected Bradbury's long time efforts and got just as excited for "Steven's win" as everyone else did in Australia did.
Definately we don’t look at it as a joke…it just awesomness that he stood his ground and delivered .it applies to anything
It doesn't get shown in this video but the other skaters congratulated him they had no hard feelings that he won. It part of that sport and they accepted it straight away.
No one blamed or argued against Steven, but i heard there was some uproar from the other teams' against each other for whose fault it was for causing the crash and how the placement of 2nd and 3rd should be upheld.
Stephen was a great competitor and deserved to stand on the dias and be celebrated Great personal achievement and Aussie's loved it and remember it with pride and also good humour 🙂
It's easy to just see this as a bit of a laugh, a lucky break. I'm glad I watched this vid, as now I appreciate he was a genuine athlete who actually worked his ar*e off to get to this final and be in a position to win a medal.
“Pulling a Bradbury” is now even in the Australian vernacular slang book.
Not only was he deserved to be in that race, but to finish 1st you must 1st finish.
Side note, I believe most if not all other competitors in that final were wearing skates made by Bradbury.
and at the press of a button.... lol
I would love it if you looked into the legend of Peter Norman. My favourite Australian athlete of all time. Amazing story.