Wengen, Switzerland – Olympic super combined champion Bode Miller opened the 82nd Lauberhorn weekend in Wengen with third in the discipline that brought him Vancouver gold.

Miller, of Franconia, N.H., was second in the downhill portion and held on to the podium as Croatian Ivica Kostelic earned his third win of the season. Park City, Utah’s Ted Ligety moved up from 19th in the downhill to finish sixth and jump to third in the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup overall standings. Miller, who earned his seventh career podium in super combined and ninth podium in Wengen, and the 74th World Cup podium of his 15-year career, is now sixth.

“I made a huge mistake in the slalom and I allowed myself to get a little bit frustrated,” admitted Miller, expressing frustration despite his podium result. “The whole day was extremely frustrating. Slalom was miserable. It’s not been going well. I had two or three runs that went well in training but from the moment I came out of the starting gate I knew it was not going to be a good day.”

Ligety was likewise disappointed with his result.

“The course setting was pretty easy and the snow was surprisingly good. I skied well at the top but was way too conservative down the pitch. I wasn’t confident enough to go for it,” he said. “It would have been easier to be seven-tenths faster. It’s about as easy a course as we have seen in a long time. A top-10 finish is fine but it’s not really what I was hoping for.”

Americans Will Brandenburg and Tim Jitloff did not finish the slalom portion of Friday’s race. Canada’s Louis-Pierre Hélie and Ryan Semple both went out during the downhill portion.

“I was going for it right out of the start,” said Hélie, who landed awkwardly after a jump and went into the netting. “I had switched skis and I was confident. I went a little bit wide to avoid all the bumps. I couldn’t see and I got (moved) back just before the jump and went in sideways.”

Hélie got up after his crash and skied down. He will be fine for Saturday’s downhill. Semple, meanwhile, had a painful landing after losing control in almost exactly the same spot, near Canadian Corner. He went to the medical center in Wengen to be assessed but escaped with bumps and bruises.

Saturday’s Lauberhorn downhill is a thigh-burner that’s the longest on the World Cup tour.

“I think it’s going to be a battle,” said Canadian ski racer Erik Guay, who is scheduled to start Saturday’s race. “It will be tough conditions – icy and bumpy, really long and challenging on the legs. You are going to have to be as close to perfect as you can and dig deep at the bottom. It’s not necessarily the favorites that win here. It’s usually someone who’s there and is ready to fight to the finish.”