Malcolm Milne
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Malcolm Milne (born 9 November 1948) is a former
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
alpine ski racer from
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Some sources give his birth date as 5 November 1948. Born
Beechworth Beechworth is a town located in the north-east of Victoria, Australia, famous for its major growth during the gold rush days of the mid-1850s. At the , Beechworth had a population of 3,290. Beechworth's many historical buildings are well pr ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
, and raised on the family tobacco farm in
Myrtleford Myrtleford is a town in northeast Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 282 km (175 miles) northeast of Melbourne and 47 km (29 miles) southeast of Wangaratta. Myrtleford is part of the Alpine Shire local government area and in 20 ...
, Milne competed in his first
Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...
in
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
at
Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
, France. In an era dominated by
Jean-Claude Killy Jean-Claude Killy (born 30 August 1943) is a French former World Cup alpine ski racer. He dominated the sport in the late 1960s, and was a triple Olympic champion, winning the three alpine events at the 1968 Winter Olympics, becoming the most su ...
, he finished 24th of 86 starters, with a time only 5.51 seconds behind Killy. This was by far the best Australian skiing result in any Games to that point. In December 1969 at
Val-d'Isère Val-d'Isère (, literally ''Valley of Isère (river), Isère'') is a Communes of France, commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie Departments of France, department (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region) in southeastern France. It ...
, Milne became the first Australian skier to win a
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
event. It was also the first podium by an alpine racer from the southern hemisphere. It also made Milne the first non-European to win a men's World Cup downhill, a feat that is often attributed by
Canadians Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
to
Ken Read Kenneth John Read (born November 6, 1955) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Canada. He was a specialist in the downhill and a two-time Olympian. He won five World Cup races during his ten-year international career, all in downhill. ...
, who won his first on the same course six years later in December
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
. Two months later, Milne captured the bronze medal in the downhill at the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
at
Val Gardena Val Gardena (; ; ) is a valley in the Dolomites of South Tyrol, Northern Italy. It is best known as a tourist skiing, rock climbing, and woodcarving area. Geography The valley's main river is the Derjon, a tributary of the Eisack river. The ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, which also counted as a World Cup podium. Milne trained with the French ski team in Europe, and won a United States title race at Bear Valley,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. He was expected to do well at the Olympics at
Sapporo, Japan is a designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture and Ishikari Subprefecture ...
, in
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
; he suffered a cartilage injury to his left knee that threatened to cause a withdrawal. He did not withdraw, and recovered from a near fall that cost him any chance of a podium finish. He called the race "my worst ever", and team manager Dick Watson said that :''Malcolm was very keyed up ... He made one mistake and in trying to correct his line nearly fell. In a remarkable recovery, he dragged his arm in the snow for at least 50 yards to recover his balance and in doing so lost over two seconds, which, of course, cost him the chance he had of a place.'' After Sapporo, he turned professional for two years, joining a troupe formed by Jean-Claude Killy, specialising in head-to-head parallel-course racing. He retired, and later noted :''Someone once said to me that for us to beat the Europeans at winter sports was like Austria tackling us at Test cricket. I reckon it's an accurate judgement.'' Prior to the
Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
of 2000, Milne was honored by carrying the Olympic torch through the town of
Myrtleford Myrtleford is a town in northeast Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 282 km (175 miles) northeast of Melbourne and 47 km (29 miles) southeast of Wangaratta. Myrtleford is part of the Alpine Shire local government area and in 20 ...
where he lives with his wife Sherry and family. In 2000, he received the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to skiing. He was inducted into the
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 Don Bradman, Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and ...
in 1985. In 2004 Ski & Snowboard Australia elected Milne a life member for the contribution he has made to the sport by becoming the first World Cup medal winner in Australian winter sports history, and the subsequent impact his performances have had on future athletes. His brother Ross Milne died during training for the
1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 (), were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964. The city was a ...
. The
IOC The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based in L ...
said that he "caught an edge" and suggested that inexperience played a role. Australian manager John Wagner called Ross a competent ski racer and blamed overcrowding on the slope. Malcolm said that attempts by the IOC to blame Ross motivated him to excel in his sport: :''What motivated me most was this suggestion from Europe that skiers from minor inter sportcountries like Australia and New Zealand should maybe not be allowed to race on difficult courses ... that such accidents might not happen if skiers with less experience were barred from competition. I was only young at the time, but I knew very well that it was a cover-up kind of story. It made me want to prove that we ''were'' capable of racing downhill.''


World Cup results


Top ten finishes

*1 win – (1 DH) *2 podiums – (2 DH) *7 top tens (7 DH)


Season standings

Points were only awarded for top ten finishes (see scoring system).


References


External links

*
Malcolm Milne
World Cup standings at the International Ski Federation * * * * * * Ski and Snowboard Australi
Life Membership Nomination
* "Australia and the Olympic Games" by Harry Gordon. * Skiworldcup.org
Jenny Owens - passion has its price
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milne, Malcolm Australian male alpine skiers Olympic alpine skiers for Australia Alpine skiers at the 1968 Winter Olympics Alpine skiers at the 1972 Winter Olympics Sportsmen from Victoria (state) Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees 1948 births Living people People from Beechworth 20th-century Australian sportsmen