Trent Milton

Trent Milton (born 4 May 1972) is an Australian Paralympic snowboarder who, at the age of 41, competed for Australia at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi.[1] An active surfer, snowboarder, stand up paddle boarder, motorcross and mountain biker, 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.

Trent Milton
Trent Milton January 2014
Personal information
Nationality Australia
Born (1972-05-04) 4 May 1972
Newcastle, New South Wales
Sport
Country Australia
SportPara-snowboarding
Disability classSB-LL

Personal

Trent Milton was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, on 4 May 1972.[2][3] He currently lives in Lake Cathie, New South Wales.[4] On 5 March 2011, a motorcycle accident on the way home from work in Port Macquarie tore off his right leg. It also led to a brain injury.[5][6] 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.[7] He developed post-traumatic amnesia, and spent a year in recovery.[4]

Prior to the accident, he was an active surfer, snowboarder, stand up paddle boarder, motorcross and mountain biker.[4] 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".[6] He stressed that the goal of competing at the Winter Paralympics played a major role in his rehabilitation.[4][5]

Skiing

Milton had been a professional snowboarder from age 16 to 32.[4] With the introduction of snowboarding to the Winter Paralympics program, he set the goal of participating at the 2014 Winter Paralympics 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.[5] He was forced to withdraw from the Paralympic Test Event in Sochi in 2013 due to flu.[4] At age 41, he was the oldest Australian competitor at the 2014 Winter Paralympics.[8] He finished 20th in the Men's Para-Snowboard Cross.[9]

References
  1. Homfray, Reece (4 February 2014). "Teenager Ben Tudhope and Trent Milton, 41, set to make Paralympic debuts in Sochi". Advertiser. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  2. "Trent Milton". Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  3. "biographie". FIS-Ski. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  4. Graham, Janine (22 November 2013). "Trent Milton: Australia's first Paralympic snowboarder". Port News. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  5. "Trent Milton". Australian Paralympic Committee Athlete Profile. Archived from the original on 10 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  6. Schofield, Phill. "Introducing Trent Milton". Disabled WinterSport Australia. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  7. Kemp, Emma (2 March 2014). "Trent Milton nearly died before getting second chance on the slopes for Winter Paralympics". Sydney Morning Herald.
  8. "2014 Australian Paralympic Winter Team Media Guide" (PDF). Australian Paralympic Committee. p. 27. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  9. Fedder, Renee (14 March 2014). "Milton makes Paralympic debut in Sochi". NBN News. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
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