Steven Bradbury relives the moment he rescued four drowning teenage girls as Olympic cult hero is honoured for act of heroism

Aussie Olympic hero Steven Bradbury has relived the brave moment he saved four girls from drowning in the Sunshine Coast surf.

Bradbury – a cult hero Down Under for his extraordinary ‘last man standing’ win in Salt Lake City 21 years ago – helped rescue the teenagers from rough seas at Happey Valley, Caloundra, in March 2022. 

The 49-year-old has since been recognised with a commendation for brave conduct by Australian Governor General David Hurley, and has revealed that he was giving his son Flyn surfing lessons when he spotted something was afoot in the sea. 

‘I thought there was no way someone should be swimming out there,’ Bradbury told ABC Radio Brisbane.

‘I grabbed my son’s board and told him to run to the lifeguards. Once I got out there, I realised there were three more heads a bit further out that were right in the impact zone, getting smashed by 2-metre plus waves.

‘I got to the first girl. The look on her face stuck in my head for about two months. I’ve never seen a human with so much fear in her eyes before.’

Bradbury paddled the first girl to safety before returning for the other three, but found that he could not get everybody on the board. 

‘I tried on about six waves to get them all in on the board,’ he said.

‘But the board was too heavy with three of them on it, plus me at the back trying to kick. I was going to have to ditch them and take one in at a time but the lifeguards showed up quickly after that.

‘They plucked two out of the water, I got the third one and paddled her in and the emergency from there was over. But it was about five or six minutes of maximum intensity.’

He added that he wasn’t scared during the six-minute episode, despite the terrifying circumstances of the rescue mission. 

‘It was kind of nice to know that under extreme circumstances, that I could still go back into what I call Olympic mode, even though I’m not as fit and a little older than I used to be,’ he said.

The Olympic cult hero was teaching his son how to surf when he spotted trouble

Bradbury, 49, has been honoured for his brave act of heroism in saving the girls

‘That feeling is something I’ve never experience before in my life.

‘I’m not sure exactly how to describe it. You feel a little bit proud, but a little bit, I don’t know, a little bit like you need to take another breath as well.’

Bradbury described the incident as a ‘good father and son bonding moment’.