Despite losing his leg to cancer when he was nine years old, not much has stood in the way of Canberra's Michael Milton.
Six Winter Paralympic gold medals, six world crowns, and once his skiing career was over he switched to the bike to compete at the Summer Paralympics as well.
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But COVID-19 prevented Australia's greatest ever Winter Paralympian from accepting his induction into the Paralympics Australia Hall of Fame first hand.
His coach and friend Steve Graham had to do that on his behalf at the Paralympic Australia Awards in Sydney on Thursday night.
"We watched the live stream and, as much as I would have loved to be there, this honour is as much Steve's as mine anyway," Milton said from Canberra, where he and the rest of his family were in isolation due to the coronavirus.
He was one of five Hall of Fame inductees - along with shooter Libby Kosmala, wheelchair racing legend Kurt Fearnley, and swimmers Priya Cooper and Matt Cowdrey.
Milton competed at five Winter Paralympic Games, including his debut aged just 14 in 1988, before hanging up the skis following the 2006 Paralympics in Turin.
Then he jumped into a bike's saddle to represent Australia at the Summer Paralympics in 2008.
David Polkinghorne
Covering the Raiders, Cavalry, cycling and racing, plus everything else that involves sport in the ACT, for The Canberra Times. Basically I love sport and watching it is a full-time job. Email: david.polkinghorne@canberratimes.com.au
Covering the Raiders, Cavalry, cycling and racing, plus everything else that involves sport in the ACT, for The Canberra Times. Basically I love sport and watching it is a full-time job. Email: david.polkinghorne@canberratimes.com.au
