ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. BEAVER CREEK, Colo. – When racers are reaching speeds well over 100 kilometers per hour on the Birds of Prey downhill course, sailing over the many enormous jumps and around huge bank turns, they all look like they’re flying. When finish times are separated by what amounts to the blink of an eye, it’s not easy to tell as you’re watching who is the fastest. But Bode Miller’s run actually LOOKED faster. And it was. The American won his first World Cup downhill race on home turf in five years in Beaver Creek on Friday. And for several minutes after he crossed the finish line, the crowd continued to chant, “Bode, Bode, Bode!”

When the American veteran crossed the finish line with a time of 1 minute, 43.82 seconds, he was a whopping 0.78 seconds ahead of then-leader Johan Clarey of France. Then Austria’s Klaus Kroell shot down the course in what he said was one of the cleanest races he’s ever run and finished 0.14 behind Miller. Then it was Switzerland’s Beat Feuz’s turn and he proceeded to have the race of his life, finishing in second place to Miller, just 0.04 seconds back.

FISalpine.com
Friday 2 December 2011