Millie Knight is a Fight for Sight #champion
With 15 days to go until the Winter Paralympics we’re delighted to announce that super skier Millie Knight is our Fight for Sight #champion!
Millie started skiing as a child at just 6 year old. But by the time she was 7, Millie had lost the majority of her sight. She is a partially sighted athlete with 5–10% peripheral vision in her left eye, and 5% in her right eye.
Millie hasn’t let this stop her, having participated in Sochi 2014 aged just 15 (the youngest ever GB Winter Paralympian). She’s now aiming for success at this year’s Winter Paralympics in apine skiing’ taking part in the slalom, giant slalom Super-G, Super Combined and Downhill events. And with a fastest recorded speed of 115KM/h in a downhill race she’s pretty darn quick.
Millie completes the course with Brett Wild, her guide who skis at a distance of 5 metres in front of her. Therefore, Millie completely relies on the audio she receives from Brett through her communication headset. Brett wears a bright orange jacket to help Millie see him as best she can. However, with her limited peripheral vision, she can’t see the blue gates until she is upon them as she completes the course.
Our fantastic corporate partner, uvex, supports Millie and Brett with helmets, goggles and sunglasses to keep them safe and a donation towards her many sets of skis.
Millie says: “I was the youngest ever GB Winter Paralympian and I carried the flag at the Opening Ceremony. This was such an honour for me and a memory I will never forget. The Paralympic Games are the ultimate races for para athletes. They are the pinnacle of my sporting career. These are the races I have been working towards for the last 7 years and I am so proud to represent GB.”
Millie and Brett are both on Twitter: @knight_millie and @BrettWild Millie also has a web site where she will be posting short updates on her Winter Paralympics adventure: http://millieknight.co.uk/