MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2014 SPORTS Bode’s last ride begins with a whimper KRASNAYA POLYANA: In a couple of days, after a change or how I feel.” recovered from mistakes that would have crashed won the downhill gold Sunday with a very cautious, few more races, will make it official. Or (Translation: “If I’d known I was going to finish almost anyone else. Yet for someone who inspired technical run, counts Miller among his idols. So does not. The most decorated skier America has ever pro- eighth, I would have stayed in bed.”) Miller: “It’s so much awe in others, he should have won more. US teammate Marco Sullivan, who a day earlier duced, and one of the most talented the sport has tough when you have to judge yourself, because the At the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, Miller came in spoke about Miller’s inimitable style in almost-mysti- ever seen, will be done with the Olympics at age 36, clock doesn’t really seem to judge you fairly.” without expectations and exited with two silvers. By cal tones. “The angles his body can stack up, his after competing in five Winter Games and winning (Translation: “If there were style points in skiing, the time the Games rolled around in 2006, he bone structure in a way, that it just looks like he is ... five medals - so far - but without the gold in the one like figure skating or that goofy new slopestyle was considered a lock to medal in all five races, only it’s effortless,” Sullivan said. “The turns he is making, discipline he wanted most. snowboard race, I’d have won every event I ever to squander his best moves off the course and inside there is so much pressure coming up from the ski Bode being Bode, getting him to admit either is a entered.”) a disco. At the 2010 Vancouver Games, instead of and the way he’s absorbing it and making it happen longshot. After finishing eighth in the downhill, the Miller: “Just like I’ve said a million times, I’m not partying like an Olympian, Miller finally skied like - it is just like, it is just the way it should be.” first of five men’s races here, Miller paused for a long always so attached to the result. I would have loved one, winning a medal in each color and pretending Sullivan was echoing what skiers of every nation- time at the bottom of the course Sunday and stared to get a gold medal today or any medal, but I was that he couldn’t care less. ality and style have said about Miller since he first back up the hill for a long time. Asked what he was making sure that I knew where I was at, before I had “Why perform now?” Miller said at the time. exploded onto the scene: namely, that they don’t thinking at that moment, he launched into one of to go deal with everybody else telling me what they “Because most likely, it’s what I wanted to do.” Miller understand why he doesn’t win every time out, let those rambling answers that make it hard to know thought.” (Translation: “I wish you guys would just also wanted to revolutionize the sport, and he did. alone how he does what he does. Neither, apparent- how much he believed and how much was said sim- disappear.”) Frankly, what should have been a sweet He grafted the style, equipment and attitude he ly does Miller. “I would have loved to win, obviously,” ply to get a rise out of his audience. story about the closing flourish by an aging skier to picked up from snowboarding and gradually con- he said finally. “This is the premier event, and it’s As someone with extensive experience interview- cap one of the great careers in Olympic Alpine histo- vinced nearly everyone in the Alpine establishment something I’ve thought about quite a bit. But when ing Miller, who also happens to be one of the most ry can’t be told without asking “What if?” to embrace and copy it. Yet the genius that enabled it’s out of your control, that kind of takes the disap- entertaining and exasperating athletes I’ve ever run Miller’s talent has always been equal parts bless- him to survive one close call after another was the pointment away, more or less. I mean, I don’t think I across, my translation follows his remarks in paren- ing and burden. In addition to the five Olympic same thing that lured him out onto the edge again would change much, the way I skied. I think I skied theses. What Miller said: “I was just going through medals, he won two overall World Cup titles and left and again. well enough to win, but it just doesn’t happen the run, seeing if there was anything that I would rivals gaping at his margins of victory and how he , the 23-year-old Austrian who sometimes.” Or at least not often enough. — AP

SOCHI: ’s Julia Lipnitskaia performs in the Women’s Figure Skating Team Free Program at the Iceberg : Men’s biathlon 10k sprint medalists (from left) Czech Republic’s Jaroslav Soukup, bronze, Norway’s Ole Einar Skating Palace during the Sochi Winter Olympics. —AFP Bjoerndalen, gold, and Austria’s Dominik Landertinger, silver, pose with their medals at the . Russia takes first gold, Mayer takes downhill

SOCHI: Veteran Yevgeny Plushenko and precocious Julia 06.23sec on the 3.5km-long course at Rosa Khutor, high claimed the 7.5km sprint. of Italy took bronze, as he did in 1994 and 2010. Lipnitskaia lifted Russia to its first gold medal of the Sochi above the Black Sea. It was the first Austrian downhill gold The Russian-born Kuzmina won in a time of 21min Loch is the third athlete to win multiple gold medals in Olympics yesterday while Austrian skier Matthias Mayer since Fritz Strobl at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. 06min 8sec to see off Russia’s Olga Vilukhina who was this event after compatriot, friend and mentor Georg stormed to the blue riband men’s downhill title. Mayer also bettered his father Helmut’s silver-medal 19.9sec behind. Vita Semerenko of Ukraine took bronze, Hackl and Zoeggeler. — Agencies Under the watchful eye of Russian President Vladimir showing in the super-G at the Games in 1998. “Of 21.7sec behind the champion. Switzerland’s Dario Cologna Putin, 31-year-old Plushenko and slender 15-year-old sensa- course it means a lot to me,” an emotional Mayer said. “It’s took the men’s Nordic skiathlon, hanging on for the second tion Lipnitskaia ensured a home triumph in team figure really difficult to go down the track without mistakes.” Olympic gold of his career. Cologna finished in 1hr 08min Olympics medals table skating. Italian Christof Innerhofer took silver at just six-hundredths 15.4sec ahead of Marcus Hellner of Sweden, with Martin Plushenko took the men’s free skate final and Lipnitskaia of a second behind while Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud claimed Johnsrud Sundby of Norway claiming bronze. Later yester- SOCHI, Russia: Olympics medals table yesterday (after then sealed victory with a stunning free skate to a standing bronze a further 0.04sec adrift. day, Switzerland’s Simon Ammann, the 2002 and 2010 dou- five of eight gold medal events): ovation at the Iceberg Skating Palace. World downhill champion Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway ble Olympic champion, will aim to become the first ski “I’m 31 years and this means everything to me. It’s so was fourth while another strong favorite, Bode Miller of the jumper to win five gold medals when the normal hill final is Gold Silver Bronze Total much history,” said 2006 Olympic champion and two-time United States, was a disappointing eighth. staged. Norway 2 1 3 6 silver medallist Plushenko. Plushenko scored 168.20 for the Russia had got on the medals table earlier when Olga But the favorites will be Kamil Stoch of Poland, the cur- Netherlands 2 1 1 4 free skate to “The Best of Plushenko” with Kevin Reynold Graf took bronze in the 3,000 metres women’s speed skat- rent World Cup leader, and Austria’s Gregor Schlierenzauer, United States 2 0 1 3 achieving 167.92 and Japan’s Tatsuki Machida 165.85. ing behind winner Ireen Wust of the Netherlands and silver the 2010 team gold medal winner on the large hill. Canada 1 1 1 3 Lipnitskaia then outshone her more experienced team- medallist Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic. Wust Meanwhile, German produced two nerveless Austria 1 1 0 2 mate who won his first world medal before she was born. To held her nerve to steal gold from defending champion slides, smashing his track record in the process, to secure a Slovakia 1 0 0 1 the music of “Schindler’s List” she skated sublimely to score Sablikova and recapture the Olympic crown she first won in second successive Olympic men’s singles gold yester- Switzerland 1 0 0 1 a personal best 141.51 and to seal the title ahead of 2006. Jamie Anderson gave the United States a slopestyle day. Loch, who has dominated luge since becoming the Sweden 0 2 0 2 America’s Gracie Gold and Italy’s Valentina Marchei 112.51. snowboarding double following Sage Kotsenburg’s victory youngest gold medalist in the sport in Vancouver aged 20, Czech Republic 0 1 1 2 Lipnitskaia celebrated in “kiss and cry” corner by proudly in the men’s competition. Finland’s Enni Rukajarvi was sec- extended his overnight advantage at the Sanki Sliding Russia 0 1 1 2 donning a Russian team baseball cap which almost slipped ond while Jenny Jones took third to give Britain its first ever Centre to win at a canter. Finland 0 1 0 1 over her face. Olympic medal on snow.Defending champion Anastasiya Russian Albert Demchenko, competing in a record sev- Italy 0 1 0 1 Earlier yesterday, Mayer, the 23-year-old Austrian, defied Kuzmina of Slovakia became the first woman to win two enth Winter Games, added another silver to his Turin 2006 Great Britain 0 0 1 1 a host of ski headline acts to win the men’s downhill in 2min Olympic titles in the same individual biathlon when she second and two-time Olympic champion Armin Zoeggeler Ukraine 0 0 1 1 Battle of generations in women’s Olympic curling

SOCHI: The women’s Olympic curl- pretty forgiving to age,” Swisshelm couple of hours on the ice. ing tournament is shaping up as said. “I think very few sports in the “Our team has full-time jobs, more than just a fight for gold. It’s world are like that.” families with children, so it’s tough also a battle of the generations. Don’t think for one minute, how- to bridge the gap,” said Derek In one corner is the modern face ever, that Swisshelm and other Brown, US women’s coach. “But of curling, 23-year-old team cap- members of the older generation they know that’s what it takes to tains Eve Muirhead of Britain and aren’t embracing curling’s new era. compete with full-time athletes. It’s Anna Sidorova of Russia. Both are as Gone are the days of the 1980s not an issue.” The older generation much at home in a photo shoot or when curlers used to fire up a ciga- has had to adapt on the ice, too. with sports psychologists as they rette during competition and could Most curlers accept that the are out on the ice. barely do a sit-up. standard of curling has greatly In the other corner are battle- Muirhead, for example, spends improved in recent years. Shot exe- hardened veterans Jennifer Jones as much time lifting weights as cution is better, there is more strat- of Canada, Erika Brown of the she does throwing rocks. As full- egy and tactics and a wider range United States and Mirjam Ott of time athletes backed by govern- of shots often is required. KRASNAYA POLYANA: Germany’s Maria Hoefl-Riesch makes a turn in a women’s downhill training run for the Sochi Switzerland, rival skips aged 39 to ment and lottery funding of 5 “They can throw really heavy 2014 Winter Olympics. — AP 42 trying to keep pace with the million pounds ($8.2 million) over take-outs these days,” said Brown, youngsters and the growing profes- an Olympic cycle, the British have who used to be performance direc- sionalism in the sport. The next two sports psychologists and tor for British Curling. “Watching the Test of skills in weeks will determine where the strength and conditioning coach- Russians and Great Britain, they can power lies in curling. “There is a es. They are current world cham- throw a lot of weight and it can get new generation coming through,” pions and favorites for gold in them out of trouble. “You could say women’s super-combined said the 42-year-old Ott, who is tak- Sochi. “We make it as much a full- that some of these younger teams ing time off from her bank job in time job as we can,” British curler are almost playing a men’s style of ROSA KHUTOR: A demanding downhill that will require fero- the so-called flat bit... there’s a lot of terrain, lots of rolls and Lenzburg, Switzerland, to compete Anna Sloan says. game.” cious attacking and a little-known slalom will open the unevenness, so it’s not easy to ski.” “I’d say it’s worthy of in Sochi. “They curl and do nothing The Americans may not have the There’s much more to curling, women’s events today with a wide open field. Olympics. I will do everything in my power but it won’t be easy.” else anymore. “We still have our same funding behind them, but though, according to U.S. women’s After the men’s downhill yesterday, the women will kick off The double Olympic champion and former overall World Cup jobs but we have the advantage of they’re intent on being just as pro- skip Erika Brown. Sochi will be her their Olympic campaign with a super-combined-a discipline winner sat out a third training on Saturday to focus on her our experience - you still have good fessional. “Don’t underestimate the third Olympics, after her debut in combining one downhill run and one slalom. slalom skills ahead of today. Maze and Fenninger, winner of chances even if you are a little bit training we do,” Swisshelm said. the 1988 Calgary Games - when And the contenders for a medal are many. Germany’s Maria Thursday’s downhill training and 2011 world champion in older.” “Because they (Britain) put it out in curling was a demonstration sport - Hoefl-Riesch is defending Olympic champion and a favorite for super-combined, did the same. Super-combined races, which The contrast in generations will a press release, don’t think we and then the 1998 Games. gold, having also won the world championship title last year in test skiers’ versatility, are the events least featured at World Cup be most stark when the US takes on aren’t working really hard, too ... I She has seen her sport change dra- Schladming, Austria. But Slovenian Tina Maze, last season’s level, with just two or three races per year. But for Mancuso, World Cup winner in the super-combined, US skier Julia defending Olympic combined silver-medallist, Monday’s race Britain tomorrow in their second think there is a misnomer about matically across three decades. Mancuso-always a top performer at the Olympics-and Austrian could bring a fourth Olympic medal. games of the round-robin stage. In how hard curlers work.” “Having 20 years of perspective on sweetheart Anna Fenninger could well upset the odds. “I know anything is possible in that event,” she said. “I just have Ann Swisshelm, the US has a 45- During a year off from a Chicago- the Olympics and competitive curl- The race will test the skiers’ technical skills in handling a to really go out and have a good downhill and give everything I year-old player who is the oldest based charity foundation in the ing, having that background to pull short course of tightly-laid gates and a 2,700-metre downhill can to give some time for the slalom and make it down a clean member of her country’s vast lead-up to Sochi, Swisshelm’s aver- from when you are maybe going run that leaves nothing to chance. “You can make a mistake in slalom run.” “I know it’s in me, I’m just going to try to do my best Olympic contingent. Britain’s equiv- age day has consisted of 45 min- through a tough time, struggling, every turn and the one who makes the fewer mistakes or keeps and hopefully good things will come.” On the Austrian side, not alent in the lead position - the play- utes to an hour on the rowing and the perspective of life in gener- the skis moving best will win,” Hoefl-Riesch predicted after one just Fenninger but teammates Michaela Kirchgasser, Nicole er who throws the team’s first two machine, followed by strength al, having family and children, gives of three training runs on the downhill course ahead of Hosp-super-combined bronze medallist at last year’s world stones - will be Claire Hamilton, who training, agility work and speed you a different view,” Brown said. “I Monday’s event. championships-and two-time world champion Elisabeth Goergl is less than half Swisshelm’s age. training in a gym in her house. Then like to think that’s all positives. I’m “It’s extremely icy and with really difficult turns, and then in have strong chances. —AFP “I love that we play a sport that’s she heads to the local rink for a happy I’m 41.” — AP