Sochi U.S. Ski Team News: Olympic Champ Bode Miller Withdraws From Final Event
In terms of combined Olympic successes, World Cup titles and individual wins, Bode Miller is one of the best alpine skiers in the sport's illustrious history. He already has cemented his legacy as the greatest U.S. man in the sport. At 36 years old, even making the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia was big honor. Yet Miller may have even exceeded expectations as he captured the sixth Olympic medal (bronze) of his career. Yet, going into his final race, the slalom, even Miller couldn't overcome Father Time. His persistent knee issues have caused him to pull out of the slalom.
The question begs to be asked: is this the last time we'll see Bode Miller compete for his country at the Winter Olympic games? If Miller's body holds up over the next four years it would be awesome to see him compete in the South Korean Winter Olympics. There'd be a kind of beauty to that; after all he started his Olympic career back in 1998 in Nagano, Japan and it would be fitting to see him retire in Asia.
But 2018 is a long way off yet. Right now the veteran skier is only focused on tackling the rest of his grueling 2014 race schedule per Yahoo Sports.
"It's tough to have my last race look like this, but I feel really good about where I'm at," said Miller. "You know, I came back strong. I really did a lot of work and I put in the time. It's a positive feeling. I feel like I did my best."
While it's unfortunate for anybody to pull out of an event due to injury, or fear of injury like in Men's Snowboard Slopestyle competitor Shaun White's case, Miller seems to be taking this stunning turn off events fairly well.
Just know this: whatever happen's in the future doesn't change the script on Bode Miller's remarkable career on the mountains.
How does Bode's career stack up with the rest of the Alpine greats? Let me know what you think in the comments section below.