For the first time in more than two years, Olympian Bode Miller got a chance to stand on the medal podium this weekend. The 31-year-old Olympic Silver Medalist (Salt Lake City), two-time world champion, and last year’s overall World Cup leader, was just beat out by France’s Jean-Baptiste Grange in the first Giant Slalom of the season, in Levi, Finland over the weekend.
Miller has concentrated on the downhill and Super-G in recent years at the expense of the slalom, but his 2nd place finish in Levi could mean that he’ll be a contender in the event this season.
(photo © Newscom)

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For those of us eager for the Winter Olympic Games to get here, there was a teaser this weekend as the season began for world cup skiing at the FIS Audi Alpine World Cup event in Solden Austria. Results included:
Men’s Giant Slalom: Daniel Albrecht (Switzerland), Didier Cuche (Switzerland), Ted Ligety (USA)
Women’s Giant Slalom: Kathrin Zettel (Austria), Tanja Poutiainen (Finland), Andrea Fischbacher (Austria)
The next event will be November 15 and 16 in Levi, Finland.

It may have been a lovely, warm fall weekend in Lake Placid, New York this past weekend, but that didn’t stop the US Ski Team from competing in the 2009 US Nordic Championships. The venue, the site of the 1980 Winter Games was equipped with a plastic landing strip for the ski jumping competition and the cross country skiiers used rollers on their skis. Here are a few of the highlights:

Twenty-four-year-old alpine skiier, Julia Mancuso won the Gold Medal in Turin in the Giant Slalom event…and she’s hungry for more in Vancouver. Mancuso also has four World Cup victories to her credit and has a run named for her in Squaw Valley. Here’s a look at this defending Olympic Medalist:

Michael Martikan won the Gold Medal in the men’s single C1 slalom kayaking event on Tuesday, repeating his performance at the Atlanta Games in 1996. In Sydney and Athens, Martikan was forced to settle for Silver, losing to France’s Tony Estanguet. This year Estanguet finished 9th in the first run and failed to qualify for the finals.
David Florence of Great Britain finished second for the Silver Medal and Robin Bell of Australia earned the Bronze. The best finisher for the United States was Benn Fraker, who placed sixth.

Canadian skier, Allison Forsyth, was forced to announce her retirement today due to the chronic pain that continues to linger since she suffered a knee injury during a training session at the 2006 Turin Olympic Winter Games. 
She made her announcement yesterday at Calgary’s Canada Olympic Park.  The 29-year old, who won a bronze medal in the giant slalom at the world championships five years ago, said: “I have pain now to the point where I struggle to ride a bike.  You know the forces involved with ski racing [and] there was no way it was going to happen. …read more

Park City, UT – It was a match made on the U.S. Ski Team. Two-time Olympian Lindsey Kildow (Vail, CO) and Team alum Thomas Vonn married Sept. 29 at Deer Valley Resort’s Silver Lake Lodge. A fresh dusting of early season snow on the mountains provided the perfect backdrop for the skiers’ nuptials.
(Source)
Skiers tie the knot on “a fresh dusting of early season snow on the mountains” as backdrop. They called it perfect. It made me nauseous. Heh. Er, didn’t you find it a tad bit overkill? Fine, fine. It’s appropriate and downright typical for skiers to wind up getting …read more

It’s not a common practice here in Light the Torch but I thought I’d share some of the things — from rowing to sailing, triathlon to skiing —that’s online right now.
A SINGLE-MINDED PURSUIT OF GLORY
Irish Rowing team to compete in opening World Cup regatta
ISAF World Sailing Rankings
FIS releases 2007-08 sport calendars
Triathlete Robertson to return in Madrid
It’s all about the athletes and the sports in World Cups, World Championships and, of course, the Olympic Games.

25 April 2007 – The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today unanimously decided to declare permanently ineligible six athletes from the Austrian biathlon and cross-country skiing teams who competed at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games (see full details below). This decision excludes them from taking part in any future Olympic Games in any accredited capacity – be that as an athlete, coach, official, etc.
The EB approved the recommendations of the Disciplinary Commission (DC) set up by the IOC in February 2006 and composed of Dr Thomas Bach (chairman), Denis Oswald and Sergey Bubka.
IOC sets up …read more

I’m a tad bit confused.
Will Bode Miller be competing or not competing in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics?
To quote Union Leader,
“I’m in the process of making a decision about participating in World Cup next year,” Miller added. “The Olympics are a long way off. I’d have to find some motivation.”
The article somehow suggests that Miller is “still” thinking about competing in the Olympics and his decision to be back on the slopes of New Hampshire is a way to get back into shape and find the motivation he was talking about. Well, at least, that’s the impression the article …read more