What a difference four years makes for Bode Miller

From James Toney, Sportsbeat, in Whistler

TWELVE months ago Bode Miller withdrew so far from the sport he once claimed to love that he admitted he didn't even own a pair of skis.

BRILLIANT: If it were possible to be cautiously reckless then Bode Miller's slalom run - which secured him the Olympic super-combined title - should be the dictionary definition (Getty Images)

One year on and his self-enforced sabbatical is looking inspired after he claimed super-combined gold, his third medal of these Olympics, on another picture postcard perfect Whistler day.

After downhill bronze and super-G silver, Miller upgraded himself with a trademark careering performance. 

If it were possible to be cautiously reckless, Miller's stunning slalom would be the dictionary definition.

He was over seventh tenths of a second down after the downhill but skied on the very edge to promote himself from seventh to first.

"I was kind of on fumes. It was mentally and emotionally exhausting to do that after years and years of not doing it," he said.

"I have one leg that is injured and one leg that is on my boat already. I had to dig deep to get ready for the race. You have to rest, get back and recover, which is extra hard for me.

"I had to just get fully fired up to take maximum risk. I went out of the gate crazy again but I was completely cashed at the bottom. 

"When I crossed the line, I did my normal thing where I stood for a second. For my first Olympic Gold, it's perfect."

Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, who led after the downhill, skied out in the bottom section of a tricky slalom course as he buckled in his bid to emulate compatriot Kjetil Andre Aamodt, who completed the super-G and super combined double eight years ago.

That handed Croatia's Ivica Kostelic silver - unsurprising, judging by his all-round ability and the fact that the course was designed by his father Ante Kostelic.

Bronze went to Switzerland's Silvan Zurbriggen.

Miller - whose victory takes the American alpine medal tally to an unprecedented seven - was built up into the great hope of the US Ski team in Turin but left without a single medal.

Living up to his bad boy stereotype, he mouthed obscenities at reporters, flicked photographers one-fingered salutes and drunk the bars of Sestriere dry, as he seemed to take the meaning of Olympic spirit straight from the bottle.