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Michael John Milton, OAM (born 21 March 1973) is an Australian
Milton participated but did not win any medals at the 1988 Innsbruck Winter Paralympics. At the 1992 Tignes-Albertville Winter Paralympics, he won a gold medal in the men's slalom LW2 event, for which he received a
"Speed king on one leg"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milton, Michael Australian male cyclists Australian male alpine skiers Australian male triathletes Australian Institute of Sport Paralympic skiers Laureus World Sports Awards winners Amputee category Paralympic competitors Australian amputees Paralympic alpine skiers for Australia Paralympic cyclists for Australia Paratriathletes Alpine skiers at the 1988 Winter Paralympics Alpine skiers at the 1992 Winter Paralympics Alpine skiers at the 1994 Winter Paralympics Alpine skiers at the 2002 Winter Paralympics Alpine skiers at the 2006 Winter Paralympics Paralympic coaches for Australia Coaches at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1992 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 1994 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2002 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2006 Winter Paralympics Paralympic gold medalists for Australia Paralympic silver medalists for Australia Paralympic bronze medalists for Australia People educated at Canberra Grammar School Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Canberra Sportsmen from the Australian Capital Territory 1973 births Living people Cyclists from the Australian Capital Territory ACT Academy of Sport alumni Paralympic medalists in alpine skiing
Paralympic
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
skier
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...
, Paralympic
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
cyclist and paratriathlete with one leg. With 6 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals he is the most successful Australian Paralympic athlete in the Winter Games.
Personal
Milton was born inCanberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
, Australian Capital Territory, on 21 March 1973. His left leg was amputated above the knee when he was nine years old due to bone cancer. He grew up into a skiing family, and after losing his leg he was determined to be able to ski again.
Skiing
Milton participated but did not win any medals at the 1988 Innsbruck Winter Paralympics. At the 1992 Tignes-Albertville Winter Paralympics, he won a gold medal in the men's slalom LW2 event, for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
, and a silver medal in the men's Super-G LW2 event. He became the first Australian to win a gold medal at a winter Olympics or Paralympics. That year he also won the slalom in the Austrian championships, and in 1993 he won both the slalom and super giant slalom at the Columbia Crest Cup. At the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Paralympics, he won a gold medal in the men's giant slalom LW2 event, a silver medal in the men's slalom LW2 event, and two bronze medals in the men's Downhill LW2 and Men's Super-G LW2 events. In January 1996, he won a gold, silver and bronze medal at the World Skiing Championships held in Austria.
In 2000, he received an Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...
. In 2001, he was inducted into the Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...
'Best of the Best'. At the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Paralympics, he won four gold medals in the men's Downhill LW2, Men's giant slalom LW2, Men's slalom LW2, and Men's Super-G LW2 events. In April 2005, he was the first person with a disability to break the 200 kilometres per hour mark with a speed of 210.4 km/h. He then aimed to beat the Australian open record of 212.26 km/h, set in 1997 by able-bodied athlete Nick Kirshner."Michael Milton – is there anything this man can't do?" – Australian Alpine News, Early Season 2006. At the 2006 Turin Winter Paralympics, he won a silver medal in the men's Downhill standing event.
On 12 July 2007, it was announced on ''Sports Tonight'' that he had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include difficulty in swallowing and weight loss. Other symptoms may include pain when swallowing, a hoarse voice ...
. He had a six centimetre tumour removed from his throat and is now in remission. Less than a year later, he was selected for the Beijing Paralympics, his first Summer Paralympics, as a cyclist.
At the 2014 Sochi Games, he was the assistant alpine skiing coach of the Australian Paralympic Team.
Milton holds the open Australian downhill speed skiing record, beating the top recorded speeds by able-bodied skiers. His personal best downhill speed is .
Other athletic achievements
On 7 July 2013 Milton broke the world record for running a marathon with crutches. It was Milton's first attempt at a marathon, and he finished the course in 5:23:30. Milton has also walked theKokoda Track
The Kokoda Track or Trail is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland – in a straight line – through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track was the location of the 1942 World War II battle between Japanes ...
twice and scaled Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world: above sea level and ab ...
.
Recognition
*1992 –Medal of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
*2000 – Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...
*2001 – Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...
'Best of the Best' inductee
*2002 – Australian Paralympian of the Year
*2002 – Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
*2007 – Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...
Australian of the Year
The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territo ...
.
*2014 – Sport Australia Hall of Fame
The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...
inductee
*2015 – ACT Sports Hall of Fame inductee
*2022 - Paralympics Australia
Paralympics Australia (PA) previously called the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) (1998–2019) is the National Paralympic Committee in Australia for the Paralympic Games movement. It oversees the preparation and management of Australian te ...
Hall of Fame
References
External links
* * * * *"Speed king on one leg"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milton, Michael Australian male cyclists Australian male alpine skiers Australian male triathletes Australian Institute of Sport Paralympic skiers Laureus World Sports Awards winners Amputee category Paralympic competitors Australian amputees Paralympic alpine skiers for Australia Paralympic cyclists for Australia Paratriathletes Alpine skiers at the 1988 Winter Paralympics Alpine skiers at the 1992 Winter Paralympics Alpine skiers at the 1994 Winter Paralympics Alpine skiers at the 2002 Winter Paralympics Alpine skiers at the 2006 Winter Paralympics Paralympic coaches for Australia Coaches at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1992 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 1994 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2002 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2006 Winter Paralympics Paralympic gold medalists for Australia Paralympic silver medalists for Australia Paralympic bronze medalists for Australia People educated at Canberra Grammar School Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from Canberra Sportsmen from the Australian Capital Territory 1973 births Living people Cyclists from the Australian Capital Territory ACT Academy of Sport alumni Paralympic medalists in alpine skiing