Julia Gillard’s done a ‘Steven Bradbury’

Katrina Jones | June 28th, 2010

http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2010/06/28/232901_gold-coast-lead-story.html

STEVEN Bradbury and Julia Gillard have something in common.

They both claimed victory at the expense of other people’s failures, and it’s something Bradbury is still proud of eight years later.

The Australian short-track speed skater and four-time Olympian — who won 1000m gold in the 2002 Winter Olympics after all of his opponents were involved in a last-corner pile-up — was on the Coast to open Dreamworld’s Illuminate Winter Wonderland.

“Funnily enough Kevin Rudd made mention to me in his speech when he referred to someone doing a ‘Steven Bradbury’,” he said.

“I don’t know if she’ll (Gillard) be mentioning me though because I don’t think Kevin Rudd really fell over — maybe pushed over.”

Bradbury mentioned Gillard in his speech at the launch of Dreamworld’s school-holiday attraction on Friday night.

After giving up his skates, he has been focusing on a career as a motivational speaker and emcee and has been spending time with his two six-month-old twins, Eryn and Flyn, and two-year-old Ryen.

Bradbury said he secretly hoped Ryen wouldn’t want to follow in his winter Olympics footsteps.

“I’m hoping she’ll be waking me up to say, ‘Daddy let’s go surfing’, rather than ‘Daddy let’s go to the ice rink’,” he said.

Bradbury has also secured a lease on a car in the MINI Challenge.

“The adrenalin of racing is the same as competing on ice, but I don’t envisage I’ll be the next Craig Lowndes,” he said.

“At least you don’t have to be fit and strong to be the that semi-elite level in racing.”