SOCHI, Russia (AP) - The man responsible for one of short track speedskating’s enduring memories is back at the Olympics.
Steven Bradbury of Australia is working as a TV commentator and mentor to his country’s two short track skaters competing in Sochi.
“It’s still great to be able to get a ticket to the greatest show in the world, even though you can’t skate at it anymore,” he said.
Now 40, Bradbury is best known for his victory in the 1,000 meters at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. He won after all four of his rivals, including American Apolo Anton Ohno, crashed in the final turn. A shocked Bradbury skated across the finish line, his arms thrown up in disbelief at winning Australia’s first winter gold medal.
“Everyone knows that I was lucky,” he said. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I worked five hours a day, six days a week for 12 years to get lucky.”
- By Beth Harris - Twitter https://twitter.com/bethharrisap
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Associated Press reporters will be filing dispatches about happenings in and around Sochi during the 2014 Winter Games. Follow AP journalists covering the Olympics on Twitter: https://apne.ws/1c3WMiu
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