by Matthew Piper/US Ski Team
By many accounts, his gold medal in the Olympic super combined was the sword in the stone for Bode Miller, a rare stratum of achievement that the most decorated alpine skier in U.S. history had never before reached. The newly crowned champion begged to differ, if only slightly.
“I had no idea that I had won, and I certainly didn’t know that it was going to be a gold or a medal at all,” Miller said, pointing to his post-finish enthusiasm. “I was super, super excited to have skied that way.
“It’s hard to really describe it in a way that makes sense, but the gold medal (itself) doesn’t mean that much. If I won it in a way that I wasn’t excited about, or wasn’t proud of today, I would have probably resented the medal in a certain way because of what it makes everyone else think.”
Miller became the fourth alpine skier to win five medals and the fourth U.S. athlete to win five or more at the Olympic Winter Games. He had already reached the sport’s pinnacle when he won four World Championships and two World Cup overall titles, but the one glaring omission from his milestone collection was an Olympic gold.
Yet Miller said what thrilled him most – more than any precious metal – was reaching deep down to find total abandon and trust in his skiing.
“My proud moment and my feeling of accomplishment doesn’t hinge on (medals), it hinges on the skiing that I put down,” Miller said. “That’s what means a lot to me right now. To do it this way, at this point in my career, in the Olympics, and in the super combined in particular, which is just an unbelievable challenge, and for me to rise to that challenge felt really cool.”
At 32, Miller said he has regained what made him special as a younger skier, before he began winning World Cups and carrying the weight of a nation’s expectations on his shoulders. And he’s had a little help from his friends.
“I feel like I have more fun than everybody else when I ski,” he said. “I think I enjoy it more. I think it’s clear here that it is that way, but I’ve seen the level of enjoyment in the skiing from other guys that I haven’t seen before also at this Olympics. The energy and the level of inspiration has been exceptionally high, and it’s helped me for sure.”
Miller made his return to the U.S. Ski Team this year after a season-long absence in which he struggled independently on the World Cup tour. He’s still not sure what he’ll do in the future, but he hasn’t ruled anything out.
“It seems like I came back for a reason,” he said. “This was why, but it doesn’t mean that I’m done. The reason was because I wanted to make sure I had the right motivation. You know, I am going to have to sit down after this season and figure out which direction to go.
“I feel good, and when I race like I have been here, it really is amazing. It’s just awesome. It’s so fun to do, and it’s so challenging at a level that you can’t find anywhere else, so I’d feel pretty stupid to give that up if I could continue.”
(editor’s note: Bode Miller withdrew from the remainder of the World Cup season due to an ankle injury. There has been no announcement if or when he will return for next season).
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