WORLD CUP SKIING Miller loses race, still leads

Bode Miller has won six of 11 events, but Austrians finished 1-2-3 Friday.
VAL GARDENA, Italy (AP) -- On a day that belonged to Austrians, Bode Miller found himself in an unusual spot -- off the podium after a demanding run in a World Cup super giant slalom.
Miller came in fourth Friday in a race won by Michael Walchhofer but maintained his commanding lead in the overall standings, having won six of 11 races this season.
"In super-G there is no training run, which makes it tough to know what to do and how hard to push," Miller said. "Especially this hill, it's got so much terrain."
Walchhofer led a 1-2-3 sweep by his countrymen, with Hermann Maier second and Benjamin Raich third. He captured a World Cup super-G for the first time, covering the 1.5-mile course in 1 minute, 31.17 seconds. Maier, the defending overall champion, was 0.12 seconds behind and Raich was 0.47 seconds back. Miller was 0.86 seconds off Walchhofer's pace.
This was the first speed event of the season in which Maier has finished ahead of Miller, shaving 30 points off the American's overall lead. Miller has 780, followed by Maier (419) and Walchhofer (384).
Miller's teammate, Daron Rahlves, was 13th. Two-time defending champion Antoine Deneriaz of France finished 15th.
Biggest competitor
Walchhofer's performance suggested that he might be Miller's biggest threat for the overall title rather than Maier. Unlike Maier, who has not competed in the slalom since a life-threatening motorcycle accident, Walchhofer races in all four disciplines. Miller has been touting Walchhofer all season.
"He's skiing really well, really solid," Miller said. "He's a four-event threat."
Walchhofer came in second in the downhill on this course in each of the past three seasons. This was the third World Cup win of his career following a combined victory in Kitzbuehel, Austria, in 2002-03, and a downhill in Lake Louise, Alberta last season.
At 6-foot-5 and 209 pounds, Walchhofer is built perfectly for the high-speed gliding that the relatively straight Saslong course demands.
Miller, who is slightly smaller, was in the lead after his run. By the time he removed his ski boots, however, Raich, the next racer to come down, had beat him. Walchhofer then posted the fastest time and Maier was the last of the super-G specialists to hit the course. After Walchhofer bettered Raich's time, Maier bumped Miller off the podium.
"It's important to win," said Maier, who has yet to do so this season. "Three second places are good, but I want to win races."