Music: {allcanada} AGGRESSIVE RUN PROPELS MILLER TO WORLD CUP DH WIN; HUDEC 16TH

Friday, December 2, 2011

{allcanada} AGGRESSIVE RUN PROPELS MILLER TO WORLD CUP DH WIN; HUDEC 16TH

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BEAVER CREEK, Colo. -- Bode Miller turned a high-risk run into high reward as he captured a World Cup downhill on a difficult Birds of Prey course on Friday.

The American skier held nothing back as he finished in a time one minute 43.82 seconds, holding off Beat Feuz of Switzerland by 0.04 seconds. Klaus Kroell of Austria was third.

Miller took an aggressive line all the way down the hill and executed it perfectly to pick up his 33rd World Cup win. It also was his third downhill victory on this course.

"The stuff I pulled off today, it doesn't work all the time," Miller said. "Three out of 10 times, you try that and it works. The other six you end up in the fence."

And the 10th?

"In the hospital," Miller continued.

After the race, Miller said it may have been the best he's ever skied from a technical standpoint. He was motivated by fear more than anything.

Standing in the starting gate, he knew that in order to win, he had to charge down the course as only Miller can.

It wasn't exactly graceful skiing, either, with his poles swinging wildly, his body smacking gates and his form far from perfect.

But Miller cares little about flair, just finishing.

When he reached the bottom of the hill and saw his time, he pumped his fist several times, satisfied with his performance -- and to make it down safe.

"Coming across the line every time I've won here, I've come across just totally fired up and excited and happy to still be alive at the finish," Miller said. "When I'm really trying to win here, the risk you take is serious risk."

Especially with all the top skiers still to go. Miller was the 12th to hit the course and knew he had to put down a fast time and then hope it would be enough. Miller held his breath as Kroell, followed by Feuz, tried to better his time.

"I took as aggressive of lines as I've ever skied," Miller said. "It was almost error-free. I was satisfied. It was just a matter of sitting and waiting and seeing if I'd done enough to stay ahead of those guys."

Switzerland's Didier Cuche, a pre-race favourite, made some mistakes and finished ninth. Cuche won the season-opening downhill last weekend in Lake Louise, Alta.

Calgary's Jan Hudec was the top Canadian, finishing 16th with a time of 1:45.40. Erik Guay of Mont-Tremblant, Que., was 17th in 1:45.44, while Robbie Dixon of Whistler, B.C., finished 24th (1:45.80).

Benjamin Thomsen of Invermere, Ont., was 40th (1:46.89), Louis-Pierre Helie of Berthierville, Que., was 55th (1:47.84) and Ryan Semple of Whistler was 60th (1:48.34).

Conrad Pridy of Whistler was 63rd (1:48.75) and Kelby Halbert of Bradford, Ont., was 65th (1:49.35).

Ted Ligety had a solid run. Hardly a downhill specialist, Ligety, who's won three overall giant slalom titles, wound up 22nd, 1.93 seconds behind his teammate.

"Talking to Bode last night, he was trying to figure out where he could make up time, because he didn't feel like he could go much faster than he had been going (in training)," Ligety said. "Obviously, he made up good time today."