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Tudhope & Miln Home to a Hero’s Welcome

Rachel Tingey

At 6:35am this morning, the Arrivals Hall of Sydney International Airport roared to life with fanatics dressed in green and gold. Streamers, balloons, flags, scarves, and posters filled the floor as members of the Australian Paralympic Team returned home from the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.

Leading the charge was New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder Ben Tudhope – the Australian Team’s sole medallist of the Games, having won silver and bronze – who was visibly overwhelmed by the reception awaiting him.

Family, friends and young Para athletes erupted into cheers as the team and staff emerged through the arrivals gate. Emotional embraces and wide smiles were captured by the camera – including Governor-General Sam Mostyn’s.

Tudhope’s silver medal in the men’s Para Snowboard Cross SB LLB-2 came under extraordinary circumstances. After dislocating his shoulder during the first heat, the 26-year-old faced a decision no athlete wants to make: push through, or pull out.

“I went into this mental state which I’ve never been into,” he said. “I was so laser-focused after I felt my shoulder pop out and then pop back in…in my mind I would just get to the space, get my shoulders strapped, and then go through the rounds.”

“I finished first [in the quarter-final] went straight back up – not a smile on my face – went straight to my physio, yelled his name, ‘Nathan, Nathan! Come here, get my shoulder done.’ And, honestly, I was angry. I had this angry feeling going, ‘No, it’s kind of gone on, this thing that’s happened, now I just need to overcome that and get over it because I knew I could do it.”’

For Tudhope, that anger became fuel. Despite genuine fear heading into the semi-final that the injury might recur, Tudhope delivered what he describes as one of his best performances.

“I was scared putting up in that semi-final. I was definitely scared that it might happen again…but…I know on a good day I’m able to beat these guys, and so from there I went on and had the best semi-final – I think that race was the best ever, so that gave me a lot of confidence going into the final.”

Five days later, Tudhope secured bronze in the men’s Para Snowboard Banked Slalom SB LLB-2 – an event he says he competes in “for fun.” But after the emotional high of the boardercross medal, resetting mentally proved its own challenge.

“It was definitely hard to have success in boardercross and then refocus and get off social media, stop reading the articles and do it all again,” he said.

“I’ve had some success in the past – I was second in the world in Banked Slalom coming into the Games…but at the Games I hadn’t performed in that event, so I definitely had a goal to perform but it wasn’t an expectation.”

“I had some mistakes in both of my runs…but I’m just very happy that the runs that I did and the level that I can perform at is at the standard where I can still be on the medals and still be fighting for a chance with a couple of mistakes.”

With 43% of the Australian Paralympic Team represented by NSWIS, Tudhope also took a moment to praise fellow scholarship holders and supported athletes Lauren Parker, Dave Miln, Aaron McCarthy, and Ethan Jackson.

“We did amazing – a lot of debutants…Lauren’s a crazy athlete in the summer, but first time doing winter and she’s only been on snow for six months. I’m sure next time she will absolutely dominate, and I can’t wait to see her,” he said of Parker who was a summer Paralympic gold medallist.

“I think NSWIS have provided us so many resources and so much training opportunities so that we are able to perform, so I’m not surprised that NSWIS did so well.”

Competing at his fourth Paralympic Games, Tudhope leaned into a mindset centred on fun and camaraderie – something he has previously described as treating snowboarding as a ‘blank canvas’ for self-expression and enjoyment.

“I was just trying to have as much fun as possible,” he said. “It was a challenge to get mentally prepared; I was at the top – except for competition day – laughing, throwing an AFL ball to my mates, having fun dancing to music, just a fun vibe soaking in the atmosphere.”

As he returns home, Tudhope is less focused on results and more on rest, recovery, and holding onto that enjoyment.

“As an athlete our world is every four years,” he explained. “It kind of feels like we’ve just finished our whole campaign, so…I just want to have fun now.”

“I just want to go back, have some fun, snowboard the domestic winter, but not trying too hard. And then, if my body can cope with it and maintain being fit and healthy and be able to compete, I’ll definitely [want to continue.]”

Also returning home was NSWIS Para Unit supported athlete and Australian Defence Force Clearance Diver Dave Miln – a man for whom simply competing at these Games represented a profound personal milestone.

Three years ago, Miln lost his legs while shielding his two children from a large snow removal machine. He went on to compete for Australia in 2024, winning silver at the Invictus Games in Para Biathlon, and arrived in Milano Cortina for his Paralympic debut in Para Biathlon and Para Cross-Country Skiing.

“It was a massive achievement just to get [to the Games] after the accident three years ago,” he said. “I loved every minute of it – loads of experiences, loads of things to take away and build on [into the future.]”

The mental side of endurance competition, Miln explained, is as demanding as the physical.

“[For] a lot of the endurance events, it’s very much about trying to keep your form as long as you can because as soon as you lose that, then it goes down to just sort of crude effort, and it’s not the greatest place to be…And for the shorter distances, you get in your head a little bit and you try and brute force your way through, but it never works as well as it could. So [it’s about] just trying to keep true to form and keeping it alive.”

Now home, Miln shared that he is still navigating his relationship with snow – a landscape that still carries complicated memories – with guide dog Suki by his side.

“It’s been interesting… it’s been hard,” he said. “And that’s why I have Suki around more than anything. But I still love it, I still have a passion for it, and it’s still something that I want to continue to explore. I don’t want it to be a barrier.”

With the NSWIS Para Unit currently supporting 75 athletes working towards their Paralympic dreams, Miln’s advice to the cohort is simple.

“Training counts for everything. Stick to the basics, build on that and remain steadfast. You’ve got to stay true and keep focused more than anything, and over time, discipline is what matters.”