Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Australia |
Born | Newcastle, New South Wales | 4 May 1972
Sport | |
Country | Australia |
Sport | Para-snowboarding |
Disability class | SB-LL |
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 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]
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]
Para-snowboarding classification is the classification system for para-snowboarding. The sport originally called Adaptive Snowboard is now practiced by hundreds of athletes around the world. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) defines three classes: SB-LL for athletes with a physical impairment affecting one or both legs, and SB-UL for athletes with a physical impairment affecting one or both arms who compete standing. The sport made its official Winter Paralympic debut in the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia.
Matthew John Robinson was an Australian Paralympic snowboarder who died as a result of a snowboarding accident at La Molina, Spain.
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Evan Strong is an American Para-snowboard cross racer who began his career in 2008. He is the gold medalist in para snowboard cross at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia and led the USA team to a sweep of the podium. He went on to represent Team USA in the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea and won a silver medal in the banked slalom event.
Ben Tudhope is an Australian Paralympian who has competed in para-snowboard cross at three Winter Paralympics 2014 to 2022. His selection at the age of 14 at the 2014 Winter Paralympics meant that he became Australia's youngest Winter Paralympian, replacing Michael Milton. He was the youngest competitor at the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games from any country. He also competed at the 2018 Winter Paralympics. At the 2022 Winter Paralympics, he won the bronze medal in the Men's Snowboard Cross SB-LL2.
Joany Badenhorst is a South African-born Australian Paralympian who was selected to compete in Para-snowboard cross at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi. She would have been the first female snowboarder to represent Australia at the Winter Paralympics, but was forced to withdraw from her event after injuring her left knee on the morning of the event. In February 2018, she was selected in the Australian team to compete at the 2018 Winter Paralympics.
Michelle Salt is a Canadian Paralympic Snowboarder. She was in a life-threatening motorcycle accident June 27, 2011 that left her on life support for seven days, broke numerous bones, having to endure many surgeries and in the end, lost her right leg above the knee. She is a recently retired (2019) National team athlete for the Canada Snowboard para-team with 14 World Cup podiums. She was selected in February 2014 to compete in the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia In 2018, she competed in the PyeongChang South Korea games finishing fourth and fifth.
Christian Geiger is an Australian Alpine skier, Paralympic alpine ski coach and sighted guide for visually impaired skiers. He was Jessica Gallagher's guide skier at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, winning a bronze medal. He represented Australia at the 2008 World Junior Alpine Skiing Championships and the 2009 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, but his career was cut short when he was severely injured in a traffic collision in 2009. He became Jessica Gallagher's sighted guide in 2013, and guided her to silver medals in women's slalom and giant slalom at the 2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup in Thredbo. Geiger was Melissa Perrine's guide and coach at the 2018 Winter Paralympics where she won two bronze medals.
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Canada competed at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, from March 7 to 16, 2014.
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Belgium sent a delegation to compete at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, held between 7–16 March 2014. This was Belgium's eighth time participating in the Winter Paralympic Games. The Belgian delegation consisted of two athletes, Jasper Balcaen in alpine skiing, and Denis Colle, a snowboarder, which was considered a discipline of alpine skiing for these Paralympics. Their best performance in any event was 6th by Colle in the snowboard cross.
Carl Murphy is a New Zealand Para-snowboard cross racer who competed at the 2014 Winter Paralympics.
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