I always get a bit annoyed at his Olympics win being written off because everyone else stacked it, as if just getting to the Olympic final isn’t a massive achievement in itself… I mean the Matildas got the keys to the city for losing a semi-final if you want to play it that way…
Nice to see him carrying on being a legend regardless.
The 49-year-old former elite short track speed skater and four-times Olympian was recognised with a commendation for brave conduct by Australian Governor General David Hurley.
The article describes his rescue of the girls and is worth reading. The summary skipped it.
I’m now more proud of him for immediately leaping into rough seas to save four people than I am for his Olympic achievements.
He always seemed like a pretty top notch bloke so this seems on brand for him.
Damn, what a legend 🏆
He’s just always in the right place at the right time, isn’t he?
Good on him. Seems like a top bloke.
as if just getting to the Olympic final isn’t a massive achievement in itself
He got into the final because of the exact same thing that happened when he won the final. It literally happened twice! But yeah, he got into the semi-final through sheer skill, and frankly even in those last two races he was able to keep up with the leaders enough get the win. You put me on the ice with them and I’ll be lapped at least twice before the end. They could fall and get back up multiple times and I still wouldn’t win.
But anyway yeah, regardless of all of that, absolute legend just for this incident. And well done to his son too.
The guy pretty much defaulted his way to the medal, but we shouldn’t forget that it was because he was the only competitor able to obey the first rule of speed skating - stay on your goddamn feet.
I’m not even slightly mad - he seemed like a great dude, and this has only cemented that.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
More than two decades after his extraordinary “last man standing” Winter Olympics gold medal, Steven Bradbury has been hailed for his bravery after saving four girls in the Sunshine Coast surf.
Australia’s first Winter Olympics’ champion helped rescue the teenagers from rough seas at Happy Valley, Caloundra, in March last year.
The 49-year-old former elite short track speed skater and four-times Olympian was recognised with a commendation for brave conduct by Australian Governor General David Hurley.
Bradbury, who will turn 50 later this year, described the situation as a “good father and son bonding moment” with Flyn, who helped with the rescue by alerting lifeguards.
Bradbury famously won gold in the 1,000 metre event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, after all his opponents were involved in a last-corner pile-up.
He was also part of the short track relay team that won Australia’s first Winter Olympic medal, a bronze, at the Lillehammer Games in Norway.
The original article contains 557 words, the summary contains 158 words. Saved 72%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
He got to the finals by letting people in front of him fall as well. Not disrespecting him though, he was coming back from a huge injury and knew he didn’t have the raw speed to beat the best, but he was smart enough to put himself in the right place - twice. The race isn’t finished until you cross the line.
🎵 What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man (You got to say it again now)
What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man (Yeah, he’s a mighty, mighty good man)
What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man (Yes, he is)
What a man, what a man, what a man
What a mighty good man (Oh, uh, yeah) 🎵
