Australia competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in

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, winning its first two gold medals in the Winter Games. It was the nation's best performance at the

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prior to the

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Overview

Australia's first ever Winter Olympic gold, also the first such medal won by a competitor from any Southern Hemisphere country and semitropical nation was won by

Steven Bradbury Steven John Bradbury OAM (born 14 October 1973) is an Australian former short track speed skater and four-time Olympian. He won the 1,000 m event at the 2002 Winter Olympics after all of his opponents were involved in a last-corner pile-u ...

in the 1000 m short track speed skating. Well off the pace of the medal favourites, Bradbury was positioned at the rear in the semifinal, only to see his competitors crash into each other, allowing him through to the final. Again well off the pace in the final all four other competitors crashed out at the final corner, leaving a shocked Bradbury to take the gold medal. Bradbury was also part of the 1994 relay team that won Australia's first Winter Olympics medal. Alisa Camplin, who hadn't won a world cup event before and was so nervous she didn't eat dinner the night before the final, won the second gold, in

aerial skiing Aerial skiing or aerials is a freestyle skiing discipline where athletes ski down a slope to launch themselves off a kicker (a vertically inclined ramp) and perform multiple twists and flips before landing on an inclined landing hill. Aerialists ...

Jacqui Cooper Jacqueline Cooper (born 6 January 1973) is an Australian motivational speaker and retired freestyle skier. Skiing career Cooper started skiing aerials at age 16 and was on the Australian team for 20 years. During her career she had many injurie ...

was previously a favourite, but she injured herself before the competition. Jenny Owens had a top 10 result, finishing 9th in the combined downhill event, the second best performance by any Australian at an Olympic Games. Australia competed in alpine skiing, figure skating, freestyle skiing, short track speed skating, and snowboarding. This was the fewest sports Australia had competed in since 1984. No Australian

cross-country skiers Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

competed in the Olympics for the first time since 1976, and no bobsledders competed for the first time since Australia's debut in 1988. Australian bobsledder Will Alstergren said "We also beat half the teams currently in Salt Lake City, but unfortunately we couldn't meet the very high standard of the AOC, the Australian Olympic Committee". Australian selection standards was also listed as a factor for Australia not competing in cross-country skiing at Salt Lake City. During the 2002 Winter Olympics, the Australian broadcaster, the

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, included in its coverage an irreverent talk show called The Ice Dream, which interviewed several celebrities and promoted the

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. Bradbury's and Camplin's triumphs were celebrated by

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issuing stamps of them, which followed on from them issuing stamps of Australian gold medallists at the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

. They were produced by high-speed offset stamp-printing, unlike the digitally produced 2000 stamps. Bradbury's stamp was issued on 20 February, and Camplin's was issued on 22 February, four days after their respective victories. Each received A$20,000 for the use of their image. Bradbury said "Should get me a car. I haven't had a car for a long time." and later described having a stamp issued as "a great honour". Camplin was also delighted, saying "For us to be put in with the summer Olympians who had their stamps and the previous 39 sporting legends who've had their stamps is amazing."

Medalists

Alpine skiing

;Men: ;Women:

Figure skating

Freestyle skiing

Alisa Camplin provided Australia with its second gold medal for the games. ;Men ;Women

Short track speed skating

Steven Bradbury won Australia's and the Southern Hemisphere's first Winter Olympics gold medal in the 1000 metres event. Richard Goerlitz also attended these games, but did not compete. ;Men

Snowboarding

;Parallel GS

References

External links

Australia NOCOlympic Winter Institute of Australia
* "The Compendium: Official Australian Olympic Statistics 1896-2002"

Australian Olympic Committee Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

* "Steven Bradbury: Last Man Standing" by Gary Smart and Steven Bradbury , 2005.
Aussie golds in Winter games bring more instant stamps
by Glen Stephens. Linn's stamp news. 11 March 2002. * "Gold medallists get framed stamps"

25 February 2002.
She comes from the land Down Under : Aussie aerialist Camplin captures gold in dramatic fashion

The Sports Factor - interview with Will Alstergren

7 February 2002. {{country at games navbox, Australia, Olympics Nations at the 2002 Winter Olympics

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

Winter sports in Australia 2002 in Australian sport