How injury which needed 111 stitches lead to infamous ice-skating gold for unlikely Australian

Steven Bradbury had already made Winter Olympics history for Australia before the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.

Meanwhile, the short-track speed skater had been told he would never set foot on the ice again after two horror injuries.

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However, Bradbury instead went on to break more records with an underdog victory in the men’s 1,000m final at his fourth Olympics.

The Australian had previously won a bronze medal in the 5,000m relay at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.

It was a triumph which marked the country’s first-ever medal at the Winter Games.

Bradbury had also already won gold, silver and bronze in the event at the World Championships during his career.

Steven Bradbury’s horror injuries

The year would end with his time on the ice seemingly over after a shocking collision at a World Cup event in Montreal.

Another skater’s blade sliced through Bradbury’s right thigh as they fell to the ice.

It caused him to lose four litres of blood as he was rushed to the hospital.

Bradbury would require 111 stitches to repair the wound after the rival skater’s blade had cut right through his leg.

Having been unable to move his right leg for three weeks, it would take 18 months before he fully recovered from the injury.

Another setback would then follow six years later in 2000 after Bradbury broke his neck in a training accident.

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His injuries were so severe that doctors told the Aussie athlete he would not be able to skate again.

Bradbury would return to the ice, though, ahead of a fourth and final Winter Olympics in 2002.

Australia’s first Winter Olympic gold

As well as the effects of his career-threatening injuries, Bradbury was 39 by the time he lined up in Salt Lake City.

The veteran was not seen as a contender for the medals despite winning his heat and advancing through the quarter-finals.

Drama was to follow in his semi-final race, though, as the skaters closed in on the finishing line.

A collision allowed Bradbury, who had stayed back anticipating such an incident, to go from last to second and qualify for the final.

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He took a similar approach in the five-man gold medal race as the skaters made their way around the track.

On this occasion, all four of his rivals hit the deck after crashing out on the final corner.

Bradbury was able to smoothly overtake the rest of the field and cross the line in first in one of the Winter Olympics’ most iconic moments.

The other skaters scrambled to their feet to cross the line as home favourite Apolo Ohno took silver ahead of Canada’s Mathieu Turcotte.

Ahn Hyun-soo of South Korea missed out on a medal altogether in fourth place.

Although Chinese skater Li Jiajun was disqualified, a re-skate was not ordered by the judges and Bradbury was confirmed as the winner.

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His victory secured Australia’s first-ever Winter Olympic gold medal as well as the first for an athlete from the Southern Hemisphere.

Australia have gone on to claim five more golds since Bradbury’s underdog triumph and are set to be represented by 17 competitors at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The Games will be hosted by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo between February 6 and 22.