By Jaime Willis
Be a strategic underdog!
In 2002, Steven Bradbury was the Australian Olympian in short track speed skating. With American Apollo Ohno in the 2002 games, the likelihood of Steven winning a gold medal was slim to none. In fact, before 2002, there was no southern hemisphere country that had won gold in a Winter Olympic event.
The 1000 meter race was Bradbury's fourth of the day, and he knew he didn't have the raw speed to beat any of the competitors. So his plan was to hang at the back of the pack and hope that his competition wiped out, as frequently happens on the speed skating track. With four competitors, only two needed to collide for him to medal.
What happens next is the stuff of legend. With just 50 meters to go, all FOUR competitors wipe out and Steven skates past them to win gold -- a first for him, his country, and the entire southern hemisphere!
Lots of folks have said Bradbury's victory is a hollow one, but I disagree. Bradbury knew he wasn't a front runner, but competed strategically.
"I was the oldest bloke in the field and I knew that, skating four races back to back, I wasn't going to have any petrol left in the tank. So there was no point in getting there and mixing it up because I was going to be in last place anyway. So (I figured) I might as well stay out of the way and be in last place and hope that some people get tangled up."Be a strategic underdog!
In 2002, Steven Bradbury was the Australian Olympian in short track speed skating. With American Apollo Ohno in the 2002 games, the likelihood of Steven winning a gold medal was slim to none. In fact, before 2002, there was no southern hemisphere country that had won gold in a Winter Olympic event.
The 1000 meter race was Bradbury's fourth of the day, and he knew he didn't have the raw speed to beat any of the competitors. So his plan was to hang at the back of the pack and hope that his competition wiped out, as frequently happens on the speed skating track. With four competitors, only two needed to collide for him to medal.
What happens next is the stuff of legend. With just 50 meters to go, all FOUR competitors wipe out and Steven skates past them to win gold -- a first for him, his country, and the entire southern hemisphere!
Lots of folks have said Bradbury's victory is a hollow one, but I disagree. Bradbury knew he wasn't a front runner, but competed strategically.
It's ok to be the underdog and there are even advantages to it. Use those advantages strategically and you may end up with Gold!
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