Miller fuels retirement rumours after injury cuts short season

OLYMPIC champion Bode Miller has added fuel to the persistent retirement rumours surrounding him by refusing to confirm whether he will compete next season.

AMERICAN BAD BOY: Bode Miller captured his first ever Olympic gold in Vancouver
in the super combined event (Getty Images)

The controversial skier will not be drawn on his plans for next season until he holds talks with US Ski head coach Sasha Rearick.

An ankle injury has cut this season short, ruling Miller out of this week's World Cup finals in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, although the American had no chance of capturing an overall or individual title.

The 32-year-old had threatened to retire 12 months ago and not compete at his third Olympic Games, but he finally put his demons to bed with a clean sweep of super combined gold, Super G silver and downhill bronze in Vancouver.

"I haven't made any decisions about next season yet," he said.

"At some point, I'll sit down with Sasha and see where we're at and what kind of programme we can put together and I'll make a plan from there.

"My ankle is still bothering me so I'm going to stay home and get treatment for now."

Miller has always enjoyed a love-hate relationship with the American public thanks to his bad boy image which reached it's height in Turin as he mouthed obscenities at reporters and partied harder than anyone else before returning home empty handed.

But Miller looks back fondly on a career which also included four World Championship golds, and feels he has achieved all he set out to.

"The Olympics were a good experience but it's all been pretty positive in my career," he added.

"My goal at the beginning of the season was to get ready for the Olympics and to win races in February.

"I feel like I accomplished everything I wanted to this season so it's nice to just be able to relax."