LES ARCS, France, April 30 - Australian Paralympian Michael Milton set a world record for a disabled skier when he clocked 210.40km/h in the World Speed Skiing Championships in France.
Milton was ecstatic at the end of his record breaking 2km long run today on the world’s fastest course at Les Arcs, after he smashed his own world mark of 198.88km/h.
It was just awesome. I feel fantastic,'' he said. I knew I could do 200 km/h, but 210.40km/h is faster than I expected.
My run was clean and solid and I just cant wait to ski even faster.'' Milton was the first Australian to win a Paralympic or Winter Olympics gold medal in 1992. At the 2002 Paralympic Games in Salt Lake City he made a clean sweep of his class by winning all four gold medals. With his fifth speed skiing world record now in the bag, Milton now has the current Australian record of 212.26km/hr set by Nick Kirshner in 1997 well within his sights. That was my last race of the season but I’m looking forward to heading home and coming back again next year to knock Nick’s name off the list,’’ Milton joked.
In the meantime, he is celebrating his membership to one of the skiing world’s most exclusive clubs - the 328 skiers who have broken through the magical 200km/h mark, and he’s the only one with one leg.