Crash foils bid for third medal

  • Saturday, February 23, 2002 9:00pm
  • Sports

Associated Press

PARK CITY, Utah – Bode Miller could have played it safe on the treacherous slalom course, but that’s not his style.

Instead, he threw himself down the mountain Saturday afternoon, falling just 15 seconds into his run and ending any chance for his third medal in 11 days.

That hardly stopped him.

He climbed back onto the course, but missed a gate about 20 seconds later.

Again, Miller worked his way back and finished, but in 25th place, nearly 12 seconds behind a Frenchman who won gold in his Olympic debut.

“It’s the Olympics, you know. If I had backed off and I came down in fifth place or sixth place, I think I would have been really disappointed. I was going for the win,” Miller said.

“If it was somewhere else, maybe I would have had the ability to hold back a little bit more. But I want to go out and race my best race in front of my home crowd.”

France’s Jean-Pierre Vidal, who severed ligaments in both knees in a training accident three years ago and spent 45 days in a wheelchair, won by 0.76 seconds over teammate Sebastien Amiez.

Alain Baxter won bronze, becoming the first British skier to win an Alpine medal.

Vidal, who turns 25 today, had a lead of 2.15 seconds over Amiez from the first run and delicately twisted down the slope for gold.

“When I heard that Miller had gone out, I knew that I had a two-second lead over Amiez and all I needed was to finish. But I still needed to finish,” Vidal said. “I was determined to cross that finish line. If I had to put my hands down on the snow, whatever, I was going to finish.”

Miller had won silver in the giant slalom and in the combined event, and was trying to become the first U.S. skier to win three Alpine medals in a career – let alone one Olympics.

He was in perfect position to do just that, starting the afternoon run in second place – trailing only Vidal. Miller had a lead of 1.79 seconds over Amiez entering the run, and knew beating Amiez would ensure him of at least another silver medal.

He also knew several skiers had fallen or missed gates on an incredibly tricky second-run course set by Miller’s coach, U.S. slalom coach Jesse Hunt.

“My coaches set it to challenge the skiers. What it does is allow me to put a lot of time on guys, because I come into those sections with a lot more speed than anybody else,” Miller said. “I can carry it through usually. It’s a risk every time you do it. That’s slalom racing.”

Hunt said his plan was undermined by the warm weather. Temperatures in the mid-40s caused the snow to deteriorate quickly.

“I did set a tough course today for Bode, thinking that he could definitely put time on people through the difficult parts,” Hunt said. “As it turned out, the conditions broke down a little bit and made it tougher than I anticipated.”

Vidal finished in 1 minute, 41.06 seconds. Amiez had a time of 1:41.82 and Baxter’s time was 1:42.32.

Vidal won wearing gloves borrowed from French teammate Carole Montillet, gold medalist in the women’s downhill last week. Vidal discovered Friday that his gloves did not meet Olympic standards because the sponsor’s name was too big.

Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

Tips Week in Review: Everett splits at Prince George, beats Victoria

Eric Jamieson’s hat trick against Victoria highlights Presidents’ Day Weekend

Marysville Pilchuck’s Michael Smathers Jr. takes the ball up the court during a Feb. 7, 2025 home league game against Monroe. (Courtesy of Spencer Janzen)
Marysville Pilchuck’s Michael Smathers Jr. stars in freshman season

The guard averaged 19 points per game for the Tomahawks this season.

Vote for The Herald’s Prep Athlete of the Week for Feb. 9-15

The Athlete of the Week nominees for Feb. 9-15. Voting closes at… Continue reading

Everett qualifies 13 girls for Mat Classic

Mia Cianega wins at 190 as Seagulls place third at district wrestling tournament.

Arlington’s Leyton Martin puts three fingers in the air after making a three point shot during the game against Glacier Peak on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Prep basketball roundup for Saturday, Feb. 15

Leyton Martin’s triple-double leads Arlington to district win

Freshman leads Jackson to 4A district swim title

Syunta Lee sets two meet records as Timberwolves edge Lake Stevens.

Shorecrest wins 3A district swim title

Snohomish’s Torsten Hokanson sets two meet records and leads two winning relays.

Marysville Pilchuck claims 2A district wrestling title

Tomahawks win three individual championship bouts.

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Ryan Nembhard (0) reacts during the NCAA Tournament at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday, March 29, 2024. (Rebecca Villagracia / Tribune News Services)
Ryan Nembhard named WCC Player of Week

For the first time this year, and with only four regular-season games… Continue reading

Shorecrest’s Cassie Chesnut leaps in the air to block a shot by Shorewood’s Bridget Cox during the 3A district playoff game on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Shoreline, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Shorecrest girls win rubber match against Shorewood

Cassie Chesnut’s 28 points, 18 rebounds pushes the Scots to District 1 3A semifinals with 53-38 win.

Monroe's Halle Keller drives past Meadowdale's Payton Fleishman during a Feb. 14, 2025 3A District 1 playoff game at Meadowdale High School. (Qasim Ali / The Herald)
Last-second layup powers Monroe past Mavs

The Bearcats staged a 50-49 road upset in a district playoff clash.

Snohomish’s Kendall Hammer yells in celebration with teammate Snohomish’s Sienna Capelli after she makes a shot and is fouled during the game on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Prep basketball roundup for Friday, Feb. 14

Snohomish, Stanwood girls cruise into district semis.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.