Steven Bradbury

Speed skater Steven Bradbury created history in Salt Lake City when he became the first Australian to win a Winter Olympic Gold Medal. His remarkable and unlikely victory was achieved after a spectacular final-lap spill took out his four rivals. Steven Bradbury threw his arms up in disbelief and smiled as he crossed the finish line.

Bradbury was a member of the 5000m-relay team that won Bronze in Lillehammer – Australia's first Olympic medal. He has helped finance his skating career through his partnership in Revolutionary Boot Company – manufacturers of speed skating boots. Among his clients is Apollo Anton Ohno, ironically the favourite for the race Steven Bradbury won. His gold medal win was not entirely as fortuitous as many would believe. Steven Bradbury knew his limitations and also the unpredictable nature of short track racing. Half the battle is staying on your blades, and Steven Bradbury did just that, right when it really counted.

Dubbed "the luckiest gold medallist", Bradbury won fans the world over for the honesty and humility he showed after the win. He saw his victory as reward not for one race, but for a decade of hard slog that has included more than his share of misfortune. In Montreal, 1994, a race accident led to him being impaled on a skate and creating a cut so extensive he lost 4 litres of blood and required 111 stitches. He was extremely lucky to survive. Following that, a training mishap in 2000 broke his neck and forced him to spend six weeks in a halo brace. Steven Bradbury again fought his way back, and two years later that neck was in the headlines again – only this time it hung with an Olympic Gold Medal.