Australia has had representation in every Winter Paralympic Games since its inception in 1976.
Domestic Competition Disabled WinterSport Australia, in association with the Australian Paralympic Committee, conduct several domestic talent identification and competition programs highlighted annually at their National Alpine Championships. This showcase event is conducted annually at a major resort in Australia in association with the Australian Defence Forces Ski Association and incorporates the alpine disciplines of Super G, Giant Slalom and Slalom. Skiers with a disability whose standards are such as to negotiate all courses competently and in safety are welcome to compete. In addition, talent development programs are conducted under the direction of the sports Head Coach who will advise development pathways for each individual athlete dependent upon skiing standard and nature of disability.
International Australia has an enviable record internationally at winter World Championships and Paralympic Games. Australian Winter Paralympian Michael Milton has led the way, being the first Australian to win gold at the Winter Paralympic Games held in Albertville, France in 1992. He has since gone on to rightly claiming to be one of the world's greatest-ever skiers with his four gold medals in Salt Lake City in the Year 2000. Visit Michael's website at: www.michaelmilton.com All of these Australian achievements have come about through dedication, self discipline and leadership and through highly qualified coaching and support personnel. Jointly, Disabled WinterSport Australia and the Australian Paralympic Committee conduct ongoing programs of athlete development and competition at the highest international level. Australia has participated in all Winter Paralymic Games since their inception in 1976 and its history is a highly acclaimed one. Read on.
Race History
Australia has a long and proud history of competing in international disabled winter sports competitions. Australia has competed in every Winter Paralympic Games ever staged.
1976 – Omskoldsvik (Sweden)
Australia's first winter Paralympian Ron Finneran, travelled to Ornskoldsvik Sweden, and competed in the first-ever Winter Paralympic Games in 1976. 17 nations; 150 competitors; alpine and cross-country events.
1980 – Geilo (Norway)
Australia represented by Peter Rickards, blind cross country events, and Kyrra Grunnsund, alpine slalom and giant slalom; team managed by Ron Finneran. Broad range of disabilities, including blind, amputees and some polio; alpine, cross country and speed skating events; 336 competitors.
1984 – Innsbruck (Austria)
Australia represented by Rodney Mills in blind cross-country races, Kyrra Grunnsund and Andrew Temple in alpine slalom, giant slalom and downhill. 22 countries; 362 competitors in three event series: speed skating, cross-country and alpine skiing. Sit skiing was demonstrated for the first time at this event.
1988 – Austria
Events staged in Mutters (alpine), Natters (cross-country) and Innsbruck (speed skating). Australia represented by Kyrra Grunnsund, Evan Hodge, Michael Milton, Steven Kirwood and David Munk. Team Coaches: Hans Hinterholzer and Jamie Milner. Chef de Mission was Ron Finneran. 20 countries; 368 athletes.
1992 – Albertville (France)
Australia represented by Kyrra Grunnsund, Michael Milton and sit skiers. Rod Hacon, David Munk and Michael Norton. In Albertville, France, 1992. Australia enjoyed its first success in winter Paralympic competition. The victorious Winter Paralympic Team won gold when young 19-year-old Canberra-born amputee skier Michael Milton outclassed the field in the Slalom. 5th Winter Paralympic Games; 24 countries; 375 athletes.
Michael Milton: Gold - Slalom, Silver - Super G
Michael Norton: Bronze - Slalom
David Munk: Bronze - Super G.
1994 – Lillehammer (Norway)
6th Winter Paralympic Games (set the standard for future Winter Paralympic competitions). Michael Milton won gold, silver and two bronze in his events; Michael Norton won gold in Slalom and Super G sit ski competitions; Cerebral palsy skier, James Paterson, won silver and bronze medals in Downhill and Giant Slalom; and sit skier, David Munk, won bronze in Giant Slalom. Australia 5th alpine medal winners tally with 3 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals.
Michael Norton: Gold - Giant Slalom and Slalom
Michael Milton: Gold - GS, Silver - Slalom, Bronze - Super G and Downhill
James Paterson: Silver - Giant Slalom
David Munk: Bronze - Super G and Giant Slalom.
1998 – Nagano (Japan)
7th Winter Paralympic Games; Australia represented by four athletes and performed well despite the tragic death of dual gold medallist, Michael Norton, and retirement of World Champion, Michael Milton, the previous year. James Paterson, the only seasoned performer in the team, won the coveted Downhill gold medal and a bronze in the Slalom.
James Paterson: Gold - Downhill, Silver - Giant Slalom
2000 – The World Championships - Anzere (Switzerland)
Australian team members were:
Michael Milton - Above knee Amputee
James Paterson - Cerebral Palsy
Bart Bunting - Blind
Peter Boonarts - Paraplegic
Mathew Nichols, a double below elbow amputee, returned to Australia prior to the event as a result of a broken collarbone in training.
Nathan Chivers was the guide for Blind skier Bart Bunting.
Results achieved were:
Michael Milton: Downhill - Gold; Super G - Gold; G Slalom - Silver; Slalom - 6th.
James Paterson: Downhill - 4th; Super G - DNF; G Slalom - Silver; Slalom - 6th.
Bart Bunting: Downhill - Gold; Super G - 5th; G Slalom - Gold; Slalom - 8th.
Peter Boonarts: Downhill - 6th; Super G - 4th; G Slalom - DNF; Slalom - Bronze.
Australia was placed 5th overall of the alpine nations, with 5 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze, behind Germany, USA, Canada and Switzerland.
Team officials were:
Nick Dean - Team Manager
Steve Bova - Coach
Andrew Stainlay - Assistant Coach
Kevin Boundy - Team Doctor
Ben Sui - Physiotherapist
The 2000 World Championship Team's results were Australia's best since the 6th Winter Paralympic Games in Lillehammer (Norway) where our athletes won nine medals: 3 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze.
2002 – Salt Lake City (USA)
A six-man Alpine team competed in Salt Lake City from March 7 - 14 with outstanding success.
Michael Milton (LW2 Leg Amputee) was the outstanding world athlete taking 4 Gold Medals in the Downhill, Super G, Giant Slalom, Slalom. Blind skier Bart Bunting with guide Nathan Chivers, having won this year's World Alpine Championships for the Blind, went on to win Gold in the Downhill and Super G and Silver in the Giant Slalom.
2006 – Torino (Italy)
At the 2006 Games in Torino, a new competition class structure came into force for Alpine Skiing. The 14 classes which had existed were combined into three classes – one for standing skiers, one for vision impaired skiers and one for seated skiers. While athletes were still classified into the 14 classes according to their disability, a factoring system – based on the times skied by the best performers in each class – was used to adjust raw times to compare athletes in each of the three combined classes.
The new system reduced the number of potential medals in Paralympic Alpine Skiing from 128 to 36 and created a fierce level of competition for every medal.
In Torino, Michael Milton won his eleventh Paralympic winter medal, a silver in the Downhill, and rising star Toby Kane picked up his first Games medal, a bronze in the Super-G event.
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