American wins another World Cup title

MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO, Italy, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- American Bode Miller won his second straight World Cup title Monday, capturing a night slalom event to establish himself as a pre-Olympic favorite.

Miller, 24, won a giant slalom in Val d'Isere Sunday. He built on a first run lead down the floodlit Miramonte piste to win in one minute, 36.01 seconds, sending a message to current World Cup leader Stephan Eberharter.

Italy's Giorgio Rocca, who many label as the new Alberto Tomba, delighted the masses of home fans huddled at the bottom of the piste by placing second in 1:36.53.

Norway's Tom Stiansen, the 1997 World Cup slalom champion, finished third in 1:36.92. The Norwegian had lost valuable time after a bad error midway down the course, but made up an amazing amount of ground in the final four gates to salvage a place on the podium.

Buoyed by his victory the previous day, Miller appeared steady and fluid throughout his second run. While many skiers appeared to struggle on the hard surface, the American, known for his feel for the skis, appeared to glide through the turns.

Miller, who moonwalked on his skis in the finish area in celebration, took the lead in the slalom standings with 180 points. Ivica Kostelic of Croatia and Austrian Mario Matt are tied for second at 171.

The victory moved Miller to within 15 points of Eberharter in the overall rankings.

A native of Franconia, N.H., Miller placed second in the slalom in Aspen and has collected points in all four disciplines so far this season.

If the American can maintain his form, he could possibly be a gold medal contender at the Olympics, particularly the giant slalom, slalom and combined.