Trent Milton (born 4 May 1972) is an Australian

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 ...

snowboarder Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympi ...

who, at the age of 41, competed for Australia at the

2014 Winter Paralympics The 2014 Winter Paralympics (russian: Зимние Паралимпийские игры 2014, Zimniye Paralimpiyskiye igry 2014), the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were an ...

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

. An active surfer,

, stand up paddle boarder,

motorcross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...

and

mountain biker Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

, he took up Para-snowboarding after a motorcycle accident that cost him his lower right leg. He made his international debut after just 18 months. After his first season resulted in fifth and sixth-place finishes, he was ranked 20th in the world. He finished 20th in the Men's Para-Snowboard Cross at the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi.

Personal

Trent Milton was born in

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...

, on 4 May 1972. He currently lives in

Lake Cathie, New South Wales Lake Cathie is a town in New South Wales, Australia about 15 minutes drive south of Port Macquarie. At the , it had a population of 4,296. The Birpai (also known as Birrbay) people have lived in this area for more than 40,000 years. Comme ...

. On 5 March 2011, a motorcycle accident on the way home from work in

Port Macquarie Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Sea co ...

tore off his right leg. It also led to a brain injury. Doctors considered amputating both his arms – his right arm hung by a thread – but managed to save both, which they fastened back together with steel plates. He developed

post-traumatic amnesia Post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) is a state of confusion that occurs immediately following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in which the injured person is disoriented and unable to remember events that occur after the injury. The person may be unable ...

, and spent a year in recovery. Prior to the accident, he was an active surfer,

, stand up paddle boarder,

and

. He took up Para-snowboarding to maintain the active lifestyle that he had prior to his accident. Milton said: "I want the relationship back with my body that I had pre-injury". He stressed that the goal of competing at the Winter Paralympics played a major role in his rehabilitation.

Skiing

Milton had been a professional snowboarder from age 16 to 32. With the introduction of snowboarding to the Winter Paralympics program, he set the goal of participating at the

in Sochi. With the assistance of Australian Paralympic snowboard coach Peter Higgins, he made his international debut after just 18 months. His first season resulted in fifth and sixth-place finishes, giving him a ranking of 20th in the world. He was forced to withdraw from the Paralympic Test Event in Sochi in 2013 due to flu. At age 41, he was the oldest Australian competitor at the 2014 Winter Paralympics. He finished 20th in the Men's Para-Snowboard Cross.

References

External links

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Trent Milton
at the

Australian Paralympic Committee 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 tea ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milton, Trent 1972 births Living people Australian male snowboarders Paralympic snowboarders for Australia Snowboarders at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Amputee category Paralympic competitors Sportspeople from Newcastle, New South Wales Sportsmen from New South Wales