Bode Miller always wanted to be the best American skier ever. With one more win, he will.

Miller matched Phil Mahre's U.S. record of 27 World Cup victories by winning the Lauberhorn downhill for the second year in a row, charging through the lower part of the course to win in 2 minutes 30.40 seconds yesterday in Wengen, Switzerland.

With two straight downhill victories -- he also won in Bormio, Italy, on Dec. 29 -- and a sudden rediscovery of his slalom form, the 30-year-old American is a good bet to pass Mahre before the season ends.

"I remember when I was young it was one of my goals. I wanted to be the best American skier ever," Miller said. "I think that's what I am. It's nice to have the numbers to back that up."

Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark won a record 86 World Cup races during his career.

Didier Cuche of Switzerland was second, 0.65 of a second back, and Manuel Osborne-Paradis of Canada was third, 1.33 behind Miller.

Miller's win also thrust him back into the race for the overall World Cup title. In 2005, Miller became the first American to win the large crystal globe since Mahre did it more than two decades earlier. But Miller finished third and fourth the last two years amid a miserable loss of form in the slalom, once a preferred event.

Miller completed a slalom run Friday to finish third in a super-combi. He then was fifth in the slalom Saturday -- his best finish since winning in Sestriere, Italy, on Dec. 13, 2004, the season he won the overall title.

"If I go out and ski 100 percent and don't make any mistakes, I have a good chance to win," said Miller, appearing more relaxed and laughing more often than the skier who often clashed with journalists, coaches and officials in recent years.

"If I ski well, I can win in all four events."

Miller, who broke away from the U.S. ski team to compete on his own this season, has 611 points and trails only Benjamin Raich of Austria in the overall standings. He is also only a point behind Cuche in the race for the downhill title.

"January doesn't matter so much," said Miller, who followed his win on the Lauberhorn last year with five disqualifications and only one top-three finish in his final 15 races. "It's March that matters."

Associated Press
Monday, January 14, 2008

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