‘I DIDN'T THINK I DESERVED IT!'

Steven Bradbury will forever be remembered as the last man standing after the craziest Games moment ever 20 years ago

- Phillip Koch

With his spiky blond hair and cheeky grin, Aussie speed skating legend Steven Bradbury captured hearts around the world after winning that unforgettable Olympic skating final when everybody else spectacularly fell over.

“Everybody in Australia wanted to buy me a beer,” laughs Steve in an exclusive interview with Woman’s Day to mark the 20-year anniversary of what is still considered one of the most memorable moments ever in Olympic history. “It’s difficult to forget the circumstances around me winning the gold. In the last race of my career, I get the luckiest win in the history of the sport – possibly in the history of any sport – to become the luckiest individual gold medallist in sporting history.”

PART OF OUR FOLKLORE

When Steve, now 48, glided to victory after his four rivals got caught up in the 1000m short track event’s infamous final corner pile-up at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, it changed his life forever and became part of Aussie folklore.

“Doing a Bradbury” even made it into the dictionary and is still commonly used to describe anyone who finds themselves in an unlikely position to claim first prize. It was something Steve struggled to accept in those heady days after his win.