00:00The skaters crashed into each other as they went around the final corner and as they slammed into
00:04the wall one of the skaters blades pierced the leg of the Australian skater Stephen Bradbury,
00:10slicing through his muscle and his femoral artery. Four liters of blood spilled onto the ice. The
00:16medics frantically tried to stop the bleeding and they rushed him off to hospital in an attempt to
00:20save his life. Stephen had been on a mission to put Australia on the map for speed skating. Earlier
00:25that year he and his team had made history in Lillehammer winning Australia's first Winter
00:30Olympics medal with a bronze in the relay. But Stephen still felt like he was destined for more
00:35and now it seemed like this crazy pursuit may have just taken everything from him. The medical staff
00:40worked tirelessly to repair the damage to his leg and over a hundred stitches later Stephen was in
00:46recovery. However despite the traumatic injury once he had recovered Stephen returned to speed skating.
00:52He continued training and he made it to the Nagano 1998 Olympics. Stephen Bradbury in the lead. But
00:59after his injury he was no longer able to keep up with the world's best. Bradbury in third place the
01:04Australian goes out that is a surprise. Stephen went home to Australia wondering if he would ever be able
01:10to return to his former glory. He went back to an intensive training regimen and even broke his neck
01:15during one training session when he slammed headfirst into the barrier but that didn't stop him from
01:20pursuing his dream. And in 2002 he once again felt the Olympic ice beneath his feet at Salt Lake City.
01:26Stephen performed remarkably well and he made it all the way to the semi-finals. But he knew in his
01:31current condition that he just wasn't going to be able to keep up with the fastest skaters in the
01:35world. However by now he'd been around long enough to know how quickly accidents can change the outcome
01:41of the race. Which was particularly common in high intensity finals. So this time he decided to hang
01:47back and let the odds fall in his favour. As the skaters came around to the final turn violently
01:52jostling for positions just as Stephen had predicted they crashed. Opening up the space for Stephen to
01:58glide on through in second place and secure his spot in the finals. In the finals Apollo Ono the
02:04American skater was the favourite to win and on home soil Apollo was determined to make his country
02:09proud. Stephen doubted he would be able to win the finals but he thought if there was another crash
02:15maybe he could get himself another bronze perhaps even a silver medal. And then on the final turn
02:24Stephen crossed the finish line first and the American crowd was furious. Their booing filled the
02:29stadium and they demanded a re-skate. The judges took a moment to determine whether any fouls had
02:34occurred which would warrant a re-skate and Stephen walked off the ice. But as he looked up at the
02:39jumbotron the official result came through. Stephen Bradbury had won Australia its first ever Winter
02:45Olympics gold medal. The crowd's booing intensified but Stephen couldn't hear it. All he heard was the
02:52Australian National Anthem.
