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www.worldskinews.com/Lake
Louise (CAN) 27.11.2004
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1st
Men Downhill - Interview with Bode
Miller
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| [ Results
] [ DH
Standings ] [ Overall
Standings ]
[ Interview
with Bode Miller ]
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Bode
Miller ready for more.
You had some outstanding training
- seventh, third, first. And winning
by nearly a full second - sounds like
you've adjusted to your new Atomics?
”It was definitely a good day. I had good training runs; I figured out the line pretty quickly...finding out where I could take risks, where not to take risks. I could ski aggressively where I wanted...and I took those risks at the right places.”
John McBride, your speed head coach
said before the race conditions were
“bullet-proof” and anyone
would be able to punch-in from the back,
that it could be wide open...but sounds
like you shut that door?
”Conditions were as good as could be. I mean Canadian Jan Hudec came from 62nd or 63rd or so and finished 8th, so you can see how it held up. Everything held up better than it ever has before. Conditions definitely were not a problem!”
But everybody had good conditions. Only
you laid it down the way you did, another
indication of your adjustment to the
new material?
”Yeah, the boots and skis and everything is working so well. Obviously, the way I stand is very important. And the way I stand makes everything easier now. There are a hundred different factors when you change equipment...the boots, the angles, the inner cant...So far everything is fine.”
You were one-hundredth of a second
out at the first interval, then scorched
it. What happened at that point?
”The top's a little tricky. Daron Rahlves should've been on the podium today but he lost almost six-tenths of a second up to that interval. There's a bumpy traverse, really bumpy, like in Kitzbühel's Hahnenkamm downhill. There's kind of an unknown there, so I didn't take any risks through there and then, once I was past it, it was pretty much like a fast Super-G/downhill and I felt comfortable. I just let my ski run.”
Phil McNichol said you told him this
was the first time you raced a downhill
instead of picking your spots, that
you attacked top to bottom. Is this
the true story?
”Yeah, I had that good training, like I said, and I felt comfortable, so I could take more risks...and I did. I was aggressive from the start.”
This is one more discipline that
you've conquered in reaching your goal
to be a true four-event racer. Feel
any pressure to win the Super G on Sunday?
”It would be nice to win - we always want to win, for sure. But this is a tough course for Super G, though. If you make one mistake on this hill, it can really cost you. Look at what it did today to Daron - just that mistake at the top and he's fifth instead of being second.”
You've still got one race left in
Lake Louise, so how will you celebrate
this win?
”It makes it tough when you're racing on Sunday, and we've got that Super-G tomorrow, so I can't party too much...but, yeah, I'll have a beer or two tonight and enjoy the moment. This is a special win.”
How important is this first downhill
win for your?
“Very much, I was close to win it last year in Beaver Creek, I felt able to win one for some time. It has always be my goal to excel in all four events - I liked to ski very fast when I was a child. Downhill is a fun event, I enjoy the speed and the risks. I like the tradition of being an allrounder.”
How do you explain your great lead today?
"It means that all the pieces came together today. There's a lot of pieces that have to come together to win a downhill. Even more pieces have to come together to be a second ahead. As said, it's really the first time I felt able to attack a downhill course with full confidence and it worked out fine. It's a great feeling to win with such a margin!"
This points are also crucial four your
chase for the Overall World Cup title?
“Definitely so - today I scored more points in one race than during my entire last season. So I feel very comfortable for the coming weeks. But things can change very fast. A year ago, I was also in the lead in the World Cup standings after tow race with 200 points and then you know what happened. I didn't finish a single race in Beaver Creek despite my strong form. It cost me a lot of points which I missed a lot at the end of the season. To the Overall is definitely my main goal this season with some medals at Bormio but it's a long process. So much can happen in the next four months. But at least I finally feel able to express all my potential, and this is the most important.”
Paul Robbins & Patrick Lang
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