Michael John Milton, OAM (born 21 March 1973) is an Australian

Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...

skier Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International ...

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. In 2024, Milton was elevated to Legend of 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 ...

Personal

Milton was born in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, Australian Capital Territory, on 21 March 1973. His left leg was amputated above the knee when he was nine years old due an osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer). He grew up into a skiing family, and after losing his leg he was determined to be able to ski again. Milton married his wife Penni in 2006 while undergoing treatment for oesophageal cancer. Their first child (Matilda) was one year old. Following surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Milton was selected in the Australian team to compete as a cyclist at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. Milton's son (Angus) in November 2008. Milton opened Quizzic Alley, a store specialising in licensed Harry Potter merchandise, in his home town of Canberra in September 2018 and a second store in Sydney in December 2020. In November 2023 Milton was diagnosed with cancer for the third time. He had surgery in December to remove a tumour from his bowel and was given the all-clear soon after.

Skiing

201000 - Opening Ceremony paralympians Michael Milton Lisa Llorens torch - 3b - 2000 Sydney opening ceremony photo

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 Australian 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 then ...

, 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, off ...

. 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 (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) 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. Ot ...

. 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 The Summer Paralympics, also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebr ...

, 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 the

Kokoda 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 Japane ...

twice and scaled

Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at above sea level and above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano i ...

Recognition

*1992 –

*2000 –

*2001 –

'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 (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

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 Government-owned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the state and territor ...

. *2014 –

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 tea ...

Hall of Fame *2024 - Elevated to

Legend

References

External links