Malcolm Milne

Malcolm Milne (born 9 November 1948 in Myrtleford, Victoria) is a former Australian Olympic skier.

In 1968, at the age of 19, Malcolm competed in his first Olympics at Grenoble, France. In an era dominated by Jean-Claude Killy, Malcolm finished twenty-fourth of eighty-six starters, with a time only 5.51 seconds behind Killy. This was by far the best Australian skiing result in any Games to that point.

In December 1969, Malcolm Milne became the first Australian skier to win a World Cup victory when he won the downhill in Val-d'Isère. Three months later, he captured the bronze medal at Gröden-Val Gardena. His World Cup victory at Val d'Isère also made him the first non-European to win a men's World Cup downhill event, a feat that is often attributed by Canadians to Ken Read for his victory on the same course in 1975.

Milne later joined a French team in Europe, and in the winter of 1971-72 won a World Cup race at Val-d'Isère, France, then won a United States title race at Bear Valley, California; he also finished third in a World Championships. He was expected to do well at the Olympics at Sapporo, Japan, in 1972, but suffered a cartilage injury to his left knee which threatened to cause him to withdraw. He didn’t withdraw, and recovered superbly from a near fall which, cost him any chance of a place. He called the race "my worst ever", but team manager Dick Watson said that

Malcolm was very keyed up ... He made one mistake and in trying to correct his line nearly fell. In a remarkable recovery, he dragged his arm in the snow for at least 50 yards to recover his balance and in doing so lost over two seconds, which, of course, cost him the chance he had of a place.

After Sapporo, he turned professional for two years, joining a troupe formed by Jean-Claude Killy, specialising in head-to-head parallel-course racing. He retired, and later noted

Someone once said to me that for us to beat the Europeans at winter sports was like Austria tackling us at Test cricket. I reckon it's an accurate judgement.

Prior to the Sydney Olympics of 2000, Milne was honored by carrying the Olympic torch through the town of Myrtleford where he lives with his wife Sherry and family. In 2000, he received the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to skiing. He was nominated in the first lot of inductees at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

In 2004 Ski & Snowboard Australia elected Milne a life member for the contribution he has made to the sport by becoming the first World Cup medal winner in Australian winter sports history, and the subsequent impact his performances have had on future athletes.

His brother Ross Milne died during training for the 1964 Winter Olympics. The IOC said that he "caught an edge" and suggested that inexperience played a role. Australian manager John Wagner blamed overcrowding on the slope. Malcolm said that attempts by the IOC to blame Ross motivated him to excel in his sport:

What motivated me most was this suggestion from Europe that skiers from minor [winter sport] countries like Australia and New Zealand should maybe not be allowed to race on difficult courses ... that such accidents might not happen if skiers with less experience were barred from competition. I was only young at the time, but I knew very well that it was a cover-up kind of story. It made me want to prove that we were capable of racing downhill.

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