SESTRIERE, Italy (Dec. 13) - World Cup leader Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) took the first-run lead in an evening slalom Monday in Sestriere, Italy, to win his sixth World Cup race of the season. Miller's slalom victory, which came on what will be the Olympic slalom course in 2006, made him only the second skier in history to record wins in all four alpine skiing disciplines in the same season, following Marc Girardelli's 1989 feat.

It was Miller's sixth victory in 10 races, his fifth win in 16 days, and his first slalom win since he last February in St. Anton, Austria. Overall, he has won 18 World Cup races since the start of the 2002 season.

"Bode led the first run going at 80 percent - he skied really clean - and went after it on the second run," Head Coach Phil McNichol said after Miller won his second race in 30 hours, this time in 1:39.03 with Swiss skier Silvan Zurbriggen second in 1:40.30 and Kalle Palander of Finland third (1:40.44). Tom Rothrock (Cashmere (WA) produced his best SL result, finishing sixth, and Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) was 23rd.

Miller tops the World Cup standings with 730 points, well ahead of Austrian Hermann Maier, the defending World Cup overall champion who has 339.

"When you feel good it makes everything easier," Miller said, "and I'm healthy, haven't been sick. My balance is good and the necessary things are in their place.

Snow dries out at night, makes for touch conditions
"Running fourth, the first run was perfect - really, both were perfect, but running 30th [in the flip-30 format after he led the qualifying run] in the second run, it was a little chopped. At night, on a cold night, the snow gets dry and it's tough. But that first run was super smooth."

Miller said he was especially pleased because he hadn't trained a lot in slalom this fall and he hooked a tip a week earlier in the first slalom of the season, Dec. 5 at the VISA Birds of Prey World Cup in Beaver Creek, Colo. On the first run, he said, "I didn't take any risks ... I was a little surprised I was that far ahead.

"[Austrian Rainer] Schoenfelder and [Austrian Manfred] Pranger were down and they were, like, 1.1 [seconds] out. But they were early...and when Kalle and [Croatian Ivica] Kostelic came down and they six-tenths, seven-tenths out, I really was surprised."

It was his third night slalom victory, following one in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, in December 2001 and Schladming, Austria, in January 2002. However, he said he doesn't favor nighttime races or daytime; his best previous result in Sestriere was last year when he finished seventh. "Night racing's always been good for me but I don't have a preference," said Miller, a Carrabassett Valley Academy (ME) product.

Makes more history with victory
"The nice thing about night races, though, is I get to eat before the race. There's plenty of time between runs so I can get something and that's good. And sometimes at races you go back up and it's cold and wet and all that, but that's usually not a problem at night."

Rothrock, who was 12th in the opening run, finished in 1:41.53 and Ligety, 11th in the first run, was timed in 1:50.32 after a couple of final-run mistakes.

"Bode didn't take a lot of risks but it was just really good skiing," McNichol said. "And 'Rotty' had a great day...and Ligety - we almost had three guys in the flowers. But this is a tough hill; the snow was injected and it had a lot of length - maybe 12-15 meters between gates, so they were carrying a lot of speed."

One of only five men to have won races in all five events (DH, super G, giant slalom, slalom and combined), Miller's previous wins this season included two in downhill and giant slalom plus one in super G. He has 18 wins in his career - a U.S.-record eight in GS, five in slalom, two in both combined and downhill, and the super G win.

After winning the season-opening GS Oct. 24 in Soelden, Austria; his current streak of five wins in four countries over 17 days began Nov. 27 with a downhill triumph at Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies and the SG win the next day. He won another DH Dec. 3 at Beaver Creek, Colo., and another GS Sunday in Val d'Isere, France.

The men face three races at week's end - a super G Friday and the season's fourth downhill Saturday in Val Gardena, Italy, followed by the traditional GS in Alta Badia. And then a GS and slalom next Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 21-22, in Flachau, Austria.

MEN'S ALPINE WORLD CUP
Sestriere, ITA - Dec. 13, 2004
Men's Slalom (Night)
1. Bode Miller, Franconia, N.H., 1:39.03
2. Silvan Zurbriggen, Switzerland, 1:40.30
3. Kalle Palander, Finland, 1:40.44
4. Benjamin Raich, Austria, 1:41.34
5. Akira Sasaki, Japan, 1:41.35
 -
6. Tom Rothrock, Cashmere, Wash., 1:41.53
23. Ted Ligety, Park City, Utah, 1:50.32
 -
Did not qualify for 2nd run:
Erik Schlopy, Park City, Utah; Jimmy Cochran, Keene, N.H.; Chip Knight, Stowe, Vt.; Jesse Marshall, Pittsfield, Vt.

For complete results:
http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/610.html?sector=AL&raceid=33219