By Mark Ledsom
LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland, March 12 - Bode Miller
finally confirmed his status as the world's best all-round skier
on Saturday, 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 Saturday's giant
slalom to seal the title, Miller pushed caution aside in
trademark fashion with two blistering runs on the challenging
Silvano Beltrametti course.
His combined time of two minutes 11.19 seconds was bettered
only by Stephan Goergl, a 26-year-old Austrian who was
celebrating only his second win on the circuit.
"It was one of my goals this season to win a giant slalom
because it's such a difficult event," said Goergl, a former
speed specialist and son of Germany's 1964 Olympic downhill
bronze medallist Traudl Haecher.
"To win the final giant slalom of the season gives me even
more motivation to become a true all-round skier."
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.
Although not enough to stop Miller's overall triumph,
Raich's podium place did ensure that the Austrian finished on
top in the giant slalom standings, winning the discipline title
by just three points over Miller.
Miller is only the second American man to win the overall
title following Phil Mahre who won three consecutive titles
between 1981 and 1983.
Miller's impressive season has also included two world
championship gold medals in downhill and super-G, as well as the
World Cup title in super-G which he clinched with a final race
victory on Friday.
In December he became only the second man, after
Luxembourg's Marc Girardelli, to win across all four World Cup
disciplines in a single season -- achieving the feat in a record
16 days.
The biggest gap in Miller's curriculum vitae would now
appear to be an Olympic gold medal, although he has two silvers
from the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
With less than a year to go until the Turin Winter Olympics
though, Miller seems to have found form and consistency at just
the right time.
(Additional reporting by Patrick Lang)