- Matthew Glaetzer won an unexpected bronze
- He gave a five-word message to the television cameras
- Fans have deduced what the Australian said
Matthew Glaetzer has paid tribute to an iconic Australian Olympics moment following his improbable men’s Keirin medal win.
Australian cyclist Glaetzer won his second medal in Paris after deftly avoiding a crash on the final corner to cross the finish line in third place.
The horrific crash, which involved Team GB’s Jack Carlin, Malaysia’s Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom and Japan’s Shinji Nakano, occurred at a speed of 30mph and resulted in the Briton needing medical assistance.
A stunned Glaetzer was seen muttering something unclear to television cameras following his shocking end, and internet sleuths have apparently worked out exactly what the Australian said.
“I just did a Bradbury,” he seems to say.
The comment was a reference to speed skater Steve Bradbury, who became Australia’s first Olympic gold medallist at a Winter Games after all his rivals fell in the final corner to allow him to cruise to victory.
Despite his surprise at how the race unfolded, Glaetzer said he had planned to take advantage of any drama that came his way.
“I wanted to make sure I didn’t get caught out and put together a race I was proud of,” he said of taking the early lead in the race.
Matthew Glaetzer gave a hilarious five-word reaction after his Olympic bronze
The Australian benefited from a big crash at 30mph to finish third in the men’s keirin.
Glaetzer said he “did a Steve Bradbury” in reference to Australian legend Steve Bradbury
‘In the end, I stayed on my bike, dodged the chaos, crossed the finish line and felt blessed to get an individual medal.
‘You never know what can happen in an Olympic Keirin final. They’re always crazy. That was an example of what could happen in a Keirin. Literally anything. So, to come away from my last Olympics with an individual medal.
“I knew it was possible, but things had to happen in my favor and literally that’s how it happened today.”