TRENT Milton is pumped. Australia's first Paralympic snowboarder has touched down in Sochi.
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Now it's pretty much a waiting game for the 41-year-old from Bonny Hills.
The Winter Paralympic Games start in Russia on March 7 but Milton's event, the boardercross, is on March 14.
Ironically that is just days after the third anniversary of the crash that cost him a leg and nearly his life.
Milton arrived on a chartered flight from Zurich on Monday night Russian time, and almost immediately headed to the athletes' village.
"It's 18 degrees Celsius and feeling more like spring or end of summer than a winter's destination," Milton, who was wearing shorts an t-shirt at the time, told the Port News.
"The airport's full of people in team uniforms - Italians, Norwegians, French and Swiss."
When he arrived at the mountain resort of Rosa Khutor 45 minutes' drive from the airport, Milton found his room in the village, complete with official Aussie team kit.
"There is huge excitement it the air ... My room is full of the team clothing bags that I'm yet to try on."
Regardless of all that, Milton is adamant about one thing: "Im ready to race - but its a long way away."
Milton and fellow snowboaders - audacious teenager Ben Tudhope and Joany Badenhorst - are part of Australia's 11-strong team for the Paralympics.
The team's chef de mission Chris Nunn believes the alpine skiing contingent could well shine in Sochi.
"It might be a bit soon to expect medals from our three snowboarders given how new the sport is to the Paralympic Winter Games, but that said, they won't be in Sochi just to make up the numbers either," Nunn said.
"Trent has a lifetime of snowboarding behind him before acquiring his disability, young Ben has grown up on the snow and Joany has a strong athletics background which is translating well across to winter sport."
The Paralympics start on Friday.
