The Salt Lake City Speed Skating Disaster

Stephen Bradbury was trailing behind all his opponents in the 1000 meter race at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics on February 16, 2002. All the other skaters crashed into each other and stumbled across the ice rink. This sudden collision provided a clear pathway for Bradbury to quickly skate across the finish line at first place. His surprise victory made him the first athlete from the Southern atmosphere to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.