Australia’s accidental Winter Olympic hero Steven Bradbury receives bravery award for saving four girls
The Salt Lake 2002 speedskating Winter Olympic champion saved the girls from drowning at a Queensland beach in March 2022.
Speed Skating
Steven Bradbury, Australia’s first Winter Olympics champion, received a bravery award from the Queensland government on Tuesday for rescuing four teenagers from drowning at a beach in Caloundra two years ago.
While teaching his son to ride a surfboard on the Sunshine Coast in March 2022, Bradbury, then 48, noticed a teenage girl drowning in the sea.
Bradbury instructed his son to alert the lifeguards and then paddled out on the surfboard to rescue the girl and bring her back to safety. After pulling her out from a strong rip current, he returned to the sea and brought three more teenage girls back to safety.
“The fact that Steven acted quickly, calmly and with such courage is so impressive. He richly deserves this recognition,” the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president Ian Chesterman said in a statement on Wednesday.
“I know he has talked about going into ‘Olympic mode’ as the emergency required decisive action. He always had amazing courage as an athlete and it has served him well here,” the AOC chief added.
Bradbury was dubbed ‘the accidental hero’ for winning Australia’s first gold medal at the Winter Olympics at the Salt Lake 2002 Games.
The Australian athlete was dead last in the five-men 1000m short track speedskating final at the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games but all four of his competitors crashed at the final turn before the finish line.
Bradbury, who was about 15m behind when the pack fell, avoided the mash-up to register one of the biggest moments in Australia’s Olympic history.
The four-time Olympian, who also won a bronze at the Lillehammer 1994 Games, retired from the sport after winning the Olympic gold and turned to commentary and motor racing.
In 2007, Bradbury was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia and inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. For his rescue act on the beach, Bradbury also received a commendation for brave conduct from the Australian Government in August 2023.