Double win for Bode Miller

Parpan/Lenzerheide, March 11th - 2005. USA' s Bode Miller enjoyed one of his best days of the season in winning the last Super-G race of the season and the specialty World Cup title as Austria's Hermann Maier only came in 9th, his worst performance in this event for a long time.

Miller shared the win with his team-mate Daron Rahlves, who has not been so lucky this winter while Stephan Goergl, the winner from Beaver Creek was 3rd at 75/100 of a second.

The skier from New Hampshire, encouraged by members of his family including his mother Jo, also increased his lead in the Overall standings in which he has now an advance of 184 points on Benni Raich, again only 11th his poorest result this season in that discipline.

Lasse Kjus, the winner in Thursday's downhill was 10th this time, a few tenths of a second behind his friend Kjetil Aamodt, excellent 5th behind Marco Buechel from Liechtenstein.

Canada's Erik Guay was 6th, which moved him up to a promising 15th place in the Super-G World Cup standings. He can also hope to enter the first seed in that event next season.
His comrade Françoise Bourque, 3rd in Garmisch-Partenkichen, was 14th .

First American to win Super-G Cup

Bode Miller was extremely happy by the issue of the competition and all the goals he reached in winning his seventh Wold Cup race of the season three months after his last triumph in slalom in Sestriere, Italy. “It's great to win the last Super-G race of the season after also winning the first on in Canada, and to be on the top of the podium next to Daron who fought very hard for this win too,” Bode said. “The course was incredibly challenging and I had lots of problems but I kept on pushing my skis. I was looking forward for that victory, I wanted to win some races here, it's the best way to clinch the Overall title,” the American added.

“To get the Super-G Crystal Cup is also very special, because Hermann Maier would have gained it again with a 4th place. To capture both the gold medal and the Cup is awesome, especially because I'm the first US skier to get it!”

Despite his strong lead over Raich in the Overall standings, Miller doesn't plan to take it easy in Saturday's giant slalom. “I wish to win the big cup by myself with another great race, and why not also the giant slalom trophy. I'm not too far from the leaders and I will gave my best to successfully defend my title from last year.”

Bode also acknowledged that he enjoyed to excel in front of his family which has only be attending a few of his races in recent seasons. “It's nice to have them here, I spent some time with them yesterday evening,” he said. “They are having a great time here, watching the races and skiing on this beautiful hill.”

Daron was happy too

Daron Rahlves was as elate as relieved to finally win his first race of the season after a series of unsuccessful attempts and two podium finishes in Kitzbühel and Kvitfjell. He also grabbed the 3rd place in the speciality standings. “It's definitely great, I was aiming for this for a long time,” said the skier from Truckee near Lake Tahoe. “I fought hard again today, but I didn't expect this after my run because I made many mistakes. Yet the course is so difficult that you can make up some time at the bottom. I'm also happy to be again next to Bode on the podium as in Beaver Creek and Bormio. It's wonderful to share such great emotion with a team-mate. I didn't reach my mains goals this season, yet I still have reasons to be happy, for instance my progress in giant slalom. In fact I feel very confident for tomorrow's giant slalom.”

Maier had problems

Hermann Maier who won half of the Super-G races he entered since March 1997, was excepting another issue of today's race. It's the first time he lost the Super-G title since 1998 after a full season. “I didn't find my rhythm today, the course conditions were quite special and I did too many mistakes” he explained. “In fact, I was surprised to only lose four tenths on the winners at the arrival. I should have arrived 4th to stay in the lead in the standings, but the time differences are really small. Of course, I was fighting for this Cup today, but as I often said, I reached my main goals this winter in Bormio and Kvitfjell.”

Benjamin Raich only lost 52/100 of a second on Miller - but it was enough to push him out of the top-10's. “My run was not too bad, but not good enough to achieve the same kind of results as in previous Super-G races. Now it will be difficult to beat Miller in the Overall but I'll continue to fight. You never know, there is always a chance. It's just to bad that they don't share the 100 points of his in between him and Daron ! It would help me a lot. I'll again try my best tomorrow. I enjoyed a great season and I'm not upset at all. I'm patient and I kept improving in the last years.”

Raich, who leads the giant slalom standings ahead of Canada's Thomas Grandi, Bode Miller and Hermann Maier, is also aiming to win his first ever giant slalom Cup. Enough a reason to make him fighting hard till the end this weekend.

Patrick Lang