Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011

VAL GARDENA, Italy — Beat Feuz of Switzerland outskied Bode Miller to win a World Cup super-G Friday in an event with shifting weather conditions.

He won in 1 minute, 21.51 seconds on the twisty and terrain-filled Saslong course. Miller finished 0.30 seconds behind, and Kjetil Jansrud of Norway was third.

Miller was an early starter with the No. 8 bib and put down a nearly flawless run in decent, although snowy, conditions. He watched as the top-ranked super-G racers — starting with Nos. 16 and 22 — were slowed by poor visibility.

However, just as the American was getting ready to celebrate, the snowfall and visibility lightened. Feuz led Miller at every checkpoint to clinch the second win of his career, having also won a downhill in Kvitfjell, Norway, at the end of last season.

"The coaches told us on the radio that everything on the course was OK and you can attack it and that's what I did," Feuz said in comments translated from Swiss German. "I attacked from start to finish."

Feuz began celebrating before he came to a stop, pumping his poles up and down in the air. The 24-year-old recounted how as a child he marveled at the skiing of Miller.

"It's an incredible feeling not just because I won, but also to have Bode Miller behind me," said Feuz, who finished second in the opening two downhills this season and was third in a super-G two weeks ago in Beaver Creek, Colorado.

Miller didn't look pleased after his run, shoving the poles into the ground.

"I knew I left something out there," Miller said. "It was looking good after the top guys. But Beat has been skiing great this year and he definitely did enough to win, although he definitely had a break with the light."

For Jansrud, the Olympic silver medalist in giant slalom, it marked his first podium in a speed event. Now he's aiming to become an all-around skier in the Norwegian tradition started by Kjetil Andre Aamodt, Lasse Kjus and Aksel Lund Svindal.

"It's always been the plan but now I can finally call myself an all-arounder," said Jansrud, who also was an early starter.

Aksel Lund Svindal finished fourth to keep the overall World Cup lead, with Feuz trailing the Norwegian by only 24 points. Ted Ligety of the United States, who sat out the race, dropped to third, 75 points behind. Miller is fourth overall.

The traditional downhill is scheduled for the Saslong on Saturday, then the circuit moves across the Gardena pass to nearby Alta Badia for giant slalom and slalom races Sunday and Monday.

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