LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland, 13 March 2005 — Bode Miller finally confirmed his status as the world’s best all-round skier yesterday, wrapping up the World Cup overall title with just one race to spare.
The 27-year-old American, who has led the sport’s standings for the entire season, clinched the biggest win of his career to date after finishing second in the season’s penultimate race.
Needing only to figure in the top 15 of yesterday’s giant slalom to seal the title, Miller pushed caution aside in trademark fashion with two blistering runs on the challenging Silvano Beltrametti course.
Austria’s Benjamin Raich, Miller’s last remaining rival for the overall crown, was briefly in front after his second run but was symbolically beaten by Miller and then by Goergl to eventually finish third. That sentiment was shared by Goergl, a former speed specialist and son of Germany’s 1964 Olympic downhill bronze medalist Traudl Haecher. Celebrating only his second win on the circuit, after beating Miller by an impressive 0.68 seconds.
Kostelic Closes Gap on Paerson in Cup
In Lenzerheide, Switzerland, Croatia’s Janica Kostelic set up a dramatic finish to the women’s World Cup ski season by coming second in the penultimate race yesterday.
The triple Olympic and world champion got the better of Swedish rival and overall leader Anja Paerson in yesterday’s slalom, with Paerson managing only 10th place.
The 23-year-old Swede led Kostelic by 89 points at the start of the day but now has a margin of just 35 points, with 100 points available to the winner of Sunday’s final giant slalom.
While Paerson and Kostelic contemplated another tense 24 hours, American Sarah Schleper was able to celebrate after taking the day’s honors with her first World Cup win.
Leading Kostelic by just 0.08 seconds after the first run, the 26-year-old from Vail kept a calm head during the break before stretching her final winning margin to 0.34.
