Machi works in short track speed skating too...

Australian, Steven Bradbury, won a gold medal in short track speed skating tonight. The first winter olympic medal ever for his country. He also proved that machi tactics are dominant in speed skating too... defeating the best from the USA, Korea, and Japan. Bradbury was in last place, 10 meters behind going into the last turn and was able to negotiate his way thru the carnage as the other 4 skaters piled up in a bad crash in the final turn.

Damn Ozzie machi skaters... Someone should have did a wall combo on him earlier in the race /versus/images/icons/wink.gif

 

The really funny thing is, if you watch his previous match, Steve Bradbury finished the very same way. Lost in back of the pack, big crash, cruise to the front.

This was the only time so far in the Olympics that I've been screaming at the television. Our boy Ono was headed for an easy Gold, and he got screwed. Thankfully, he had the sense to scramble across the finish line and pick up a Silver. Still, it sucks. Maybe if we Americans whine long enough, like, I dunno, Canada, we'd get the Gold anyway. Oh well, great racing, anyway.

 

A couple of corrections...

The first winter olympic medal ever for his country.

I've since learned that it was the first Australian <font color=yellow>gold</font color=yellow> medal in the Winter Olympics. Australians have place before in the winter games.

defeating the best from the USA, Korea, and Japan.

...and China.

Was that AkiraKid??? The Korean in the finals was only 16 yrs old! We'll be seeing him again...

 

<a target="_blank" href=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/sport/story_26327.asp>What an Australian paper thought about the medal!</a>

Follow the above link for Aussie POV...

 

Well this is unlike the judging controversy, the winner on this one is very clear, who ever crosses the line first.

Crashes and stuff, are not rare in that event, and this being his third olympic, he knows better.

It must be the mandate of Heaven /versus/images/icons/smile.gif