For the week of December 12 - 18, 2001

Sizzling hot, Bode Miller gives Yanks hope

Back-to-back World Cup triumphs

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When you’re hot, you’re hot—and New Hampshire’s Bode Miller was on fire in the Alps. He singlehandedly put the U.S. back on the map of Alpine skiing technical events.

Carrabassett Valley Academy grad Miller, 24, won back-to-back World Cup giant slalom and slalom races Sunday and Monday at Val d’Isere, Fra. and Madonna diCampiglio, Italy.

Miller’s first-ever World Cup win in Sunday’s GS made the 6-2, 210-pounder the first American winner of a men’s World Cup GS since Phil Mahre in 1983 at Furano, Japan.

Riding big momentum, 1998 Olympian Miller made the seven-hour drive from Val d’Isere and bolted out to the first-run lead in Monday’s night slalom.

Miller, responding to what he called "the greatest pressure I’ve ever felt in a ski race," added time on his second run to win by .52 seconds and become the first American SL winner since Steve Mahre in 1983.

The last time an American man won back-to-back tech events was Phil Mahre in March 1983—GS at Aspen and GS at Vail.

One day and one more win later, Miller said, "The best way for me to describe it is, imagine working your entire life for one thing and watching all your dreams and aspirations come true, all at once. That’s what happened to me the last two days."

Jesse Hunt, U.S. men’s SL/GS coach, said, "We’re making history. It’s pretty exciting. Bode is skiing with such confidence now."

It almost didn’t happen.

On Sunday, Miller overcame a near-spill at the top of his second run and cruised to a .02-second GS victory over Frenchman Frederic Covili.

The near spill ended up focusing Miller’s energies. Said Hunt, "He really skied the middle of that second run well. Going down on his hip really tightened his focus and he was so on it after that, attacking down the fall line. It was so beautiful to watch."

With the two wins, Miller vaulted into second place in overall World Cup standings behind Stephan Eberharter of Austria. Eberharter has 340 points after seven races, Miller 325. Last winter Miller managed only 185 points the entire season, 42nd overall.

Keep in mind the Miller’s two victories came just 10 months after he crashed during the combined downhill event of the 2001 World Championships at St. Anton, Austria.

Miller tore his left anterior cruciate knee ligament but avoided surgery because of cautious and aggressive rehabilitation techniques.

Outdoor Life Network (local cable channel 40) will televise coverage of the Bode Miller victories Thursday, Dec. 13 starting at 6 p.m. MST.

 

Other World Cup news

It was a good thing Miller was hot, because the American speed racers definitely were not at Val d’Isere, France over the weekend.

Austria’s Stephan Eberharter, 32, picking up the slack for injured teammate Hermann Maier, won Friday’s super giant slalom and Saturday’s downhill. Eberharter, the world SG silver medalist, was second in the overall World Cup standings in 2001.

Far down on the list were the top Americans—Daron Rahlves 24th SG and Marco Sullivan 27th DH, his first World Cup points.

Another serious injury saddened the ski world Saturday when rising Swiss DH star Silvano Beltrametti, 22, was paralyzed from the chest down in a high-speed crash on the Val d’Isere downhill course.

Meanwhile World Cup women ran slalom gates at Sestriere, Italy Sunday.

Posting only her second World Cup victory was Sweden’s world champion Anja Paerson, 20. Kristina Koznick hung up the third-fastest second run to finish 8th, 1.02 seconds back. Sarah Schleper placed 20th.

 

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