Crans Montana, Switzerland – After further evaluation of an injured left knee, Olympic champion Bode Miller will miss the remainder of the 2012 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup season.
Miller, of Franconia, N.H., originally aggravated his left knee in Sochi, Russia, where he missed the downhill podium by a mere .02 seconds. He attempted to ski through the injury the following weekend in Bansko. Bulgaria, then opted to return to the United States for a knee evaluation and eventual surgery in Vail, Colo. He returned to Europe with the intention to compete in Crans Montana this past weekend and finish the season, but further discomfort prompted the 33-year-old to undergo further arthroscopy on the knee and immediately begin recovery.
“The plan was to come back and race in Crans Montana, but I couldn’t get the range of motion that I needed out of my knee to be competitive,” Miller explained. “We thought if I rested a few more days, things would come around, but it didn’t happen.”
“Even though he’s been extremely motivated to continue out the season and show what he can do by having fun with ski racing, his body just wasn’t able to hold that,” added Sasha Rearick, men’s Head Coach for the U.S. Ski Team. “He’s doing the right thing by getting his knee fixed and ready to go for the future.”
Miller says that he intends to continue training and racing following his recovery from the additional surgery, discounting any suggestions that he may be considering retirement.
“I love ski racing and I love being active so I hope for a solid recovery and to get back to training as soon as possible,” he said. “I’m still having fun and as long as skiing is enjoyable, I’m going to continue to do it.”
“Bode makes an incredible contribution to the ski racing community at large. He has fans all over the world and people come to ski races just to see Bode,” commented Rearick. “The fans had high hopes to see him race at Crans Montana and Bode wanted to compete for the fans. He inspires people from all countries and all ages to get fired up for our sport and he wants to continue to do what he loves.”