Bode Miller wins first gold medal

WHISTLER, British Columbia (AP) — This is the way Bode Miller always wanted it to happen.

An Olympic gold medal may be the ultimate evidence of skiing success in everyone else’s eyes, but most assuredly not in his. If the willful Miller ever was going to earn one and truly embrace the accomplishment, this is how it had to be.

He conquered a tricky course with sometimes-spectacular skiing that reminded him of being a kid on the slopes. He overcame a big deficit by pushing himself despite a bum left knee and an aching right ankle. In sum, he turned in a performance that pleased him, regardless of what the clock said.

In this case, it just so happens, Miller’s total time from one downhill and one slalom was Sunday’s best, allowing the 32-year-old from Franconia, N.H., to win the super-combined event signifying all-around skiing ability — and that first career gold. He now has a record-tying three medals at these Olympics after only three races, quite a comeback from his infamous flop at the 2006 Turin Games and his near-retirement last year.

“The gold medal is great. I think it’s perfect. Ideally, that’s what everyone is shooting for. But the way I skied these last races is what matters. I would’ve been proud of that skiing with a medal or not,” Miller said after turning in the third-fastest slalom leg for an overall time of 2 minutes, 44.92 seconds, a comfortable 0.33 ahead of Ivica Kostelic of Croatia. Silvan Zurbriggen of Switzerland got the bronze.

“The way I executed — the way I skied — is something I’ll be proud of the rest of my life,” Miller said.

Whether he ever says so or not, it’s the Olympic gold medal that changes history’s view of Miller. What happened in Turin is now an aberration rather than the defining moment. Now he’ll always be seen by those outside the sport as one of Alpine skiing’s greats who frittered away one Olympics, not a should-have-been who never fulfilled his promise.

“I mean, Bode has now done everything you can in skiing. He’s won World Cups. He’s won World Cup overall titles,” said Will Brandenburg of Spokane, Wash., who finished 10th in his Olympic debut. “He’s won medals in every color. And now he’s got the gold. And I think that’s big. He’s one of the best skiers of all time now and no one can discredit that.”

Older and perhaps wiser — although good luck getting this guy to admit the latter — Miller is at the top of his game at the right time.

What a week.

He also won a bronze in Monday’s downhill and a silver in Friday’s super-G, adding to two silvers at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. The five Alpine medals tie him for the second-most by any man in Olympic history, behind only the eight won by Kjetil Andre Aamodt of Norway.

He still has two more events, the giant slalom Tuesday and the slalom Saturday.