WENGEN, Switzerland -- Bode Miller always wanted to be the best American skier ever, and he is only one World Cup win away from proving he is.
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.
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 overtake 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."
Didier Cuche of Switzerland was second, 0.65 seconds 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 he managed only third- and fourth-place finishes the last two years amid a miserable loss of form in the slalom, once a preferred event.
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| Bode Miller strikes the World Cup winner's pose for the 27th time. (Getty Images) |
"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, now 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."
In recent seasons, Miller and U.S. skiing officials appeared worn out amid endless confrontations over rules such as those that didn't allow him to sleep in his motor home at races. This season, Miller not only has his RV, he also hired a bus to house and transport his new personal coaches, made up mostly of former U.S. staff members.
Miller has named his breakaway squad "Team America." Conforming with World Cup rules, he still wears a U.S. uniform when he races, but puts on his red "Team America" jacket as soon as he takes his skis off.
