Local daily newspaper Kärntner Tageszeitung has revealed that the 42-year-old former model has bought herself a special prosthesis she can use to go skiing at an orthopedic store in Klagenfurt.

Her coach Alexander Köll said: "She’s incredibly ambitious.

"It’s outstanding what she achieves wearing a prosthesis."

Mills, who lost her left leg after being knocked down by a police motorcycle in 1993, had announced in June that she hoped to compete in Sochi.

Her claims have been largely dismissed by ParalympicGB, who told insideworldparasport that it "takes grit, determination and a tremendous amount of hard work and training" to make the Games.

But Mills, who would be 46 by the time of Sochi, claims that she is serious about achieving her goal, which is why she is basing herself in Austria.

She said: "I’m training on the Mölltaler Glacier.

"You know when you set in your head things that you want to do?

"Well, I’ve ticked about 90 per cent of the boxes and this is one of the major ones remaining for me."

Another Austrian newspaper, Kleine Zeitung, also reported today that over the weekend Mills turned up at a shooting competition of the Austrian army’s East Tyrol division in Lavant – and came first in the ladies event, leaving dozens of female soldiers behind her.



But competing for Britain in skiing at Sochi remains her ambition.

Mills, who has been accused on several occasions in the past of embellishing her life story,  said: “If I manage to compete [in Sochi], it would be phenomenal, very inspiring for all the kids I counsel.

"They didn’t believe they could do anything and they are now trying ice skating, rollerblading, biking and swimming,  which is wonderful.

"Having loved sport my whole life, competing in a Paralympics would be a dream come true."

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