Slalom slip gives Miller sobering lesson
The American bad boy was belatedly disqualified from the first slalom run of the men’s combined after straddling a gate midway through the course.
Miller, who was not immediately aware of his mistake, had taken a 0.32-second advantage into his favoured discipline after going fastest in the afternoon downhill.
And he appeared to have stretched that lead to almost a second over Austrian Benjamin Raich, while one of his main rivals, Aksel Svindal, failed to complete the course.
Miller shrugged: “I don’t tend to get that disappointed. At least I don’t have to go all the way down to Turin for a medal tomorrow.
“I didn’t protest, it is totally out of my hands and you just deal with it. I’ve straddled probably more times than most people have finished slalom.
“It’s a drag but the downhill was good and I made it to the finish. I was in a position to win by a significant margin even with poor skiing in the first run.”
Having gained silver medals in both the combined and giant slalom in Salt Lake City four years ago, the 28-year-old from New Hampshire looked a virtual certainty to secure victory.
But such success would not have been welcomed by all, with Miller boasting a history of provocative comments which have riled skiing officials.
Last month Miller caused uproar when he claimed he had sometimes taken to the slopes under the influence of drink. “If you ever tried to ski when you’re wasted, it’s not easy,” Miller said.
“You’re putting your life at risk, it’s like driving drunk, only there are no rules about it in ski racing.”
He also angered anti-doping bodies by protesting existing laws were too strict and insisting some drugs may improve safety by keeping racers more alert.
And his Olympic hosts were fuming when he refused to stay in the athletes’ village because of the size of the beds, instead opting to stay in his motor-home.
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